Bagged
by writersBLOCKacilin
Summary: The Casts have exposed the existence of vampyres and their secrets. Now the government is hunting them down for experiments and their supporters to imprison. Follow Mari, a human with a VERY special connection to the vampyres and Nyx...Original cast/world
1. Intro

_***Alright, those of you just starting, this is THE WORST chapter. It gets a lot better, I assure you. This just sets up the premise. In fact…you might just be able to SKIP it to be quite honest.***_

Intro

They didn't mean anything by it. All that the Casts meant to do was bring vampyres into a better light. They wanted them to be celebrated and not these feared monsters that hide in the shadows waiting for a meal to walk by. They didn't mean to cause the vampyres any harm. How could they know, how could any of us know, that the government would start chasing the entire vampire community down? The Cast women wanted the world to be a decent place for their vampire friends to exist in. They wanted everyone to be aware of them and accept them just as they had.

But people are ignorant. They are afraid of things they don't understand. I remember watching the president try to explain away all of America's fears. He told us that they only wanted to understand the science behind vampirism and that there was nothing to be worried about. He meant that humans had nothing to worry about. He probably had no idea that the vampyres would be dragged from their homes with white bags over their heads and disappear into what we assumed was a testing facility. He might have even assumed that, at some point, they would stop taking vampyres or even that they would allow the vampyres to return home. Whether he had any idea about these things or not…I hate that he had _anything_ to do with it.

I wasn't exactly a vampyre activist. I didn't belong to the V.A.M.P (Very Angry Mortal People) or the F.A.N.G (Fighting Against "Normality" in the Government) organizations. They were big groups with mob mentality. They weren't exactly helpful. I did little things. I gave blood to the certain organizations that secretly gave the blood to underground vampyre rings. I donated money, clothing, and what have you to the underground rings. Still, vampyres continued to disappear while the vampyre romance novels continued to fly off the shelves.

"Write a vamp novel Mari," my agent told me.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest and glared at him. "I can't. You know how I feel about those things."

"But we'd make a killing," he sighed. I simply continued to glare. The man bled money, it was all he cared about. I had told him about the correlation between vamp romance novels and the increasing amount of vamps being taken to the testing facilities but, now that he heard the money clinking in his head, he seemed to have forgotten my morals. "Look," he sighed, closing the door to his office, "every other fantasy author is following this craze."

"Not Tamora and Maria," I replied, listing my two favorite authors who had quickly become my friends in the writing world.

My agent's face lost all color. "They've both been placed on a watch list. Maria and her family narrowly escaped the Baggers last night and Tamora escaped this morning without anyone noticing. They've gone into hiding." I felt my stomach clench. The Baggers were the people who took vamps and "dangerous vamp supporters" in the black of the night.

Still, I refused to write about vampyres. I continued to write the series I had been working on before. Eventually, I was interviewed for some crappy teen magazine. They asked the usual questions about my books and writing then…the interviewer went political. I quickly was placed on the watch list.

I spent two years running around the country. I hid in underground vampyre rings, with underground vamp activists, in homeless shelters, churches and, occasionally, I was able to rent apartments under fake names. I never stayed anywhere long. If I did, the Baggers found me and those who were good enough to hide me were hurt.

After two years I finally stopped in Paris, Tennessee. A small town that would change my life.


	2. Paris, TN

I walked out of a store called "Fred's" with armfuls of Twinkies. Sure, they were junk food and awful for you but they gave me the calories I needed and would survive a nuclear holocaust. I stuffed them in my backpack, the one thing I owned. I didn't own any clothes really. I just picked up clothing as I went. I was wearing a big grey Stanford sweatshirt with jeans that were three sizes too big. I looked like a runaway. I kept out one of the Twinkies and tore the wrapping off to eat it. _Breakfast of champions,_ I thought to myself as I crammed the whole thing into my mouth.

The sun had set twenty minutes before but I had just woken up. I kept late hours to keep the Baggers off my trail. If I was in one place during the night they would easily find me, that was how they worked. If I stayed in one place during the day they were looking for me on the streets.

When I stopped in Paris, TN, I figured that I wouldn't have to worry too much about Baggers here. It didn't seem like much of a vamp town. I heard a scream across the street and realized that I had the worst instincts ever. I looked over to see a girl drawing back from a man who had her arm. Being the idiot I am, I felt like I should go help her. As I ran across the street I heard the girl scream out in a sweet country twang, "Please no! Leave me alone. Oh Jesus help me!"

I walked onto the sidewalk and stopped beside the two. "Well, I'm not Jesus but maybe I can help."

The man looked at me and, much to my surprise, his Mark practically shone against his dark tan skin. I could see the bloodlust in his eyes. He smirked as he noticed me eying his Mark. "Yeah, I'm a big bad vampyre. Now get out of here little girl."

He began leaning into the sobbing girl's wrist and I began laughing. He stopped at stared at me. "You think I care that you're a vamp? Please. I care that you are hurting this girl. You need to stop."

He laughed and gave me a defiant smile. "Or what?" I hated that question. I shrugged and grabbed my gun out of the side pocket of my backpack. I don't know if he was startled by the gun or by how casually I aimed it at his face. I'd seen a lot of death in the last two years and caused a surprising amount of it.

"I'm pretty sure a bullet in the brain kills a vampyre. Should we find out?" He scowled at me, his upper lip twitching angrily. "You know the drill. Blah, blah, blah, let her go. Blah, blah, blah, nobody gets hurt."

He shook his head and, begrudgingly, let the girl go. She thanked me profusely before taking off down the street. I held my aim, just in case he decided to turn on me. "Do you make it your business to see all vampyres go hungry or am I just lucky?"

"I hate all vampyres who make the rest of the vamp world look like monsters," I scoffed as the increasingly annoying man rolled his eyes. "I mean, I was just over at the Henry County Hospital donating blood _especially_ for vampyres. So I don't want to hear this 'I'm going hungry' crap okay?" He began to respond but I was distracted by a glint out of the corner of my eye. I looked over to the left and, across the street, I saw light reflecting off of two Baggers' badges as they showed them to a little old lady who was walking out of Fred's. They glanced my way and I felt my bones ache with trouble.

I put my gun away quickly. "What are you doing?" he asked, seeming almost disappointed that I was running away from our little verbal match.

"Fleeing. Be happy, I'm letting you live." Without another word I took off down the street. I had no idea where I was going, all I knew was that I was going to run and run fast. I didn't feel like I was being followed, which was good, but I wasn't about to stop until I had some place to hide. There weren't a lot of people out on the street, then again, there wasn't much to do around there.

I kept running until I saw a little Eiffel Tower. _The place is called Paris, _I thought to myself,_ of course they have a little Eiffel Tower._ The place seemed to be closed but that had never stopped me before. I figured that I could at least hide out around the thing until I felt safe. As I drew close to the structure I glanced down at the base under one of the legs and saw a hatch. I glanced around, making sure I was alone, before I pulled at the hatch. It opened with ease. "Oh…this has got to be a trap," I said to myself.

Trap or not, I pulled out one of my lighters and headed down the ladder, making sure to close the hatch behind me. Though it was dark the tunnel seemed to be very well kept. It didn't even stink which made it much better than any other tunnel I had had to hide out in. I continued forward, ignoring all the tunnels that branched off of the main one. I could see down this one and, so far, no Baggers had jumped out at me. It was irrational, yes, but I felt like I knew this tunnel.

Finally, I came to face my fears. The tunnel ended and branched off in two different directions. The tunnel to my right quickly ended and turned into many more tunnels. The one on my left, however, ended in a large wooden door. "I'll take door number one," I whispered to myself as I moved towards the door. I reached up and grabbed the coin I wore around my neck for courage. I opened the door, slowly, expecting rats to come pouring out at my feet. I was pleasantly surprised.

I walked into what seemed like someone's living room. There was a big red couch, with tons of pillows, sitting in front of a decently sized TV. There was a bookcase, a table with a game of chess setup on it and, much to my surprise, more lights than I could handle. Desk lamps, track lighting and even Christmas lights strung up around the room.

I heard a noise and looked to my left to see three people staring at me. One guy was white with beautiful curly blonde hair falling into his bright blue eyes. The other guy had the darkest skin and eyes I had ever seen in my life. The third person was a short Chinese girl with her long black hair in a tight braid. Of course, what stood out the most of their features were the bright Marks that shone from their faces.


	3. Life in the Tunnels

"Sorry," I chuckled, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt staring at the three adult vampyres. "I didn't know this place was taken. I'll find my own place." I turned to leave.

"Wait," the girl cried out. "How did you find the entrance?"

I turned and saw fear in her eyes. She must have thought that I was a Bagger or a Bagger scout. "Find? It was kind of in plain view."

"Dammit," the blonde boy sighed, slamming his fist into the wall. "The idiots left the hatch uncovered."

"Some of our friends left a little bit ago to do some shopping before everything shut down," the girl explained.

The blonde boy, who had seemed so sweet and quiet, now turned to me angrily. "And everyone is going to know now." He moved towards me.

"How?" I stuttered backing up towards the door. I grasped for the doorknob, finding that somehow the door had closed and was difficult to open. "I won't be telling them anything."

"Damn right you won't," he growled, getting closer to me.

"That's enough," the other boy sighed, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder and throwing him backward across the room with ease. I stared in amazement. The guy had some serious muscles but I was still very impressed. "I'm a Son of Erebus," he explained. "Or at least I was…"

"The more you tell her," the blonde boy groaned as he got off the floor, "the more she'll be able to tell the Baggers about us."

I stopped fumbling for the doorknob and sighed. "Look, I won't be going to the Baggers since I'm on their watch list. That would just be a death sentence for me." The three exchanged glances while they considered whether I was a threat or not. I fidgeted nervously. "Any way, I'm just gonna leave. Sorry to upset you." I turned to the door and was once more stopped by the girl's voice.

"Wait." She turned to the Son of Erebus. "Do you remember the dream I told you about?" Both men nodded. "I think that this is what she meant." The blonde rolled his eyes and leaned up against the couch while the Son of Erebus looked deep in thought. He was absolutely beautiful and when his face tensed up and the fiery wisps of his Mark were crinkled on his forehead. I'd spent the better part of the last two years of my life with vampyres and I _still_ couldn't get over how attractive they all were.

"Alright," he sighed finally, his dark eyes looking into mine. "Would you like to hide out with us?" I stared at them, mouth agape, wondering if this was some strange attempt at a trap. "I mean, there aren't any other hideouts around here. There are three or four in Nashville but that's a few hours away." He shrugged. "It's no skin off my back if you don't but—"

"Stay," the girl interrupted before the invitation became less inviting.

I shook my head. "I'm confused. Why are you inviting me to stay?"

The two men looked over at the girl. "Our goddess, Nyx, gifted me with prophetic dreams. I just get little glimpses, little hints about the future. Last time I slept, I feel like she was telling me about you."

All I could do was stare. I knew about Nyx and I had seen the gifts she'd given her children. I knew that she was the epitome of night and darkness. I knew that she was a goddess I could identify with. I didn't know why the hell she would give this girl a dream about me. "Me?" I asked. "Are you sure?"

She nodded excitedly. "I saw the S on your sweatshirt, that coin you have around your neck and your beautiful green eyes." She turned her face to the ground. "I saw more but I don't think I should tell you quite yet." I didn't know what to say.

The Son of Erebus put his hand on my shoulder. "We find that if her dreams go ignored bad things happen." He shrugged. "You might as well stay." I nodded absentmindedly. What else could I do? I had nowhere to go, no one to turn to and who was I to disagree with the goddess? "I'm Desmond, by the way." He gave me a dreamy smile. "The guy who attacked you is Erol."

"And I'm Kōngxiǎng," the girl said, thrusting her hand at me. "But everyone calls me Daydream."

"Because of your dreams?" I asked, shaking her outstretched hand.

"Nope. That's just what my name translates to. I guess Nyx and my parents had plans for me." Daydream smiled, scrunching up her entire face. The crescent moon on her forehead was framed by clouds. "So what's your name?"

"Mari." I decided to use my real name. Normally I might have used one of my aliases or come up with a new one but if Nyx was guiding this girl I figured I should be as truthful as possible.

"So why are you running from the Baggers, Mari?" Erol asked. He was still angered by my presence.

I pushed my hair back out of my face. "Because I spoke out against the government's treatment of vampyres, I talked about the bags and it was possible people would follow my lead. Everything the government is afraid of in an individual."

Erol's bright blue eyes widened and a smile touched his lips. "You weren't kidding about that death sentence thing were you?" I laughed despite the fact that the death sentence was a very real fear of mine. "How long have you been on the run?"

"Two years as of last month." Everyone stared at me in shock. I was used to it. Very few people managed to stay hidden that long.

Desmond shook his head with disbelief. "How did you manage to stay off their radar?"

I shrugged. "Just luck I guess. I came across good people, underground vamp rings, nuns and I got very lucky in every fight I was ever in."

"Nuns?" Erol asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Were you in many fights?" Desmond asked, seeming fascinated at the thought. I didn't look like much but I was a hell of a fighter.

"Too many," I sighed.

Daydream stared at me and I swear I felt her eyes probing my soul. "You lost a number of people you cared about?" I nodded. It had been the toughest part of those fights. "Nyx was watching over you, I think."

"Nyx?" Erol chuckled. "No offence, you seem decent enough but…why would Nyx look after a _human_?" I took no offence since I was thinking the same thing. I often found myself wishing I had been Marked so that I _could_ feel that Nyx was watching over me. "So, on the bright side you've probably done a lot of traveling." Erol smirked at his own joke. Now that he wasn't coming at me with murder in his eyes he seemed perfectly adorable.

"Yes, I've been everywhere. Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Tulsa—"

"Did you meet Zoey Redbird there?" Daydream asked. "And Stevie Rae and the twins and Erik and Damien and—"

"They aren't real, sweety," Erol scoffed.

"Yes they are," I replied. Everyone, once more, stared at me. I was beginning to get tired of all the attention being on me. "I actually helped them relocate since the Casts accidentally revealed their hiding spots." It had been an insane ordeal and I had lost a few friends helping them out. It was so strange meeting the vampyres I had read about in the books. "They are all much smarter and less shallow than they seem in the books. Zoey is frighteningly powerful and beautiful." Still…everyone stared. I hated being the center of attention. I actually kind of enjoyed some of the time I spent running because I had to make sure no one paid attention to me. It was like getting to be invisible. "So…what have you all been through? How did you find this place?"

They told me all about the place. It had been built in the 1970's as a chic vamp hang out then closed up by the mid 80's. A friend of theirs, who had since been Bagged, discovered it when he was a kid and kept it a complete secret. Later in life, when he was Marked, he began bringing other vampyres there to hang out and, eventually, to hide. It had full electricity and even running water. These living conditions were much better than some of the apartments I had had to rent.

"You poor thing," Daydream sighed, interrupting a story Desmond was telling me, "you must be tired and hungry and…well you need a shower."

I felt my cheeks redden with embarrassment. I hadn't showered in a while. The last place I had been hiding in had gotten raided and I'd had to leave in a rush so I hadn't had time to bathe. I felt terrible since I knew that their sense of smell was heightened. My scent must have been awful. "Yeah, I definitely do."

Just then, the door behind me swung open and in walked a tall and tan vampyre with his arms full of paper grocery bags. "You would not believe how many Baggers there were in town. In Paris…I mean…normal humans don't really come here let alone…" He trailed off as his eyes found me. It was the vampyre I had stopped from eating that girl.

"This is Mari," Daydream said sweetly, though there was something mischievous in her eyes. "She's going to be staying with us since the Baggers want her too. She's as good as a vamp. Mari this is Jordan."

Jordan set the bags down and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you Mari." I eyed his hand nervously. I had, after all, just stopped him from making some poor sweet girl his meal. But he was pretending we hadn't had that run in.

"Same here," I said, playing along. He didn't seem so threatening down here. I saw the startling beauty of his Mark. Maori tribal tattoos trailed down the sides of his face and onto part of his neck. An adult vampyre's Mark was supposed to say a lot about them and their goddess given affinity, but I couldn't quite make out what his meant.

"Have you two met?" Desmond asked suspiciously.

"I ran into her outside of the market," Jordan said casually. "I was a bit rude but she still told me where to find a decent blood bank." He reached in and pulled some packets of blood out of one of the bags he held. "Did you know that Henry County Hospital donates to vamps? Fortunately Mari had just been there."

Erol gave me another look of surprise. "You donate blood for vampyres?"

"Of course. You guys need it to survive. I've fed plenty of vamps."

"Oh yeah?" Erol chuckled. "Any of them have to bite you for it?"

He asked jokingly but there was no joke about it. I rolled up my sleeves and revealed scars on my wrists. "That one was this girl who was dying. This one was forcibly taken. This one I gave for this guy who had been on the run for a week without anything to eat." I pulled down my sweatshirt to reveal the scars on my neck. "This one was a guy who snuck up on me…" I trailed off. "The rest of them are pretty much the same reoccurring stories."

Erol, Desmond and Jordan stared at me in disbelief. Daydream, however, gazed at my wrists with calculating eyes. She knew _something_ I could feel it. "Bit that many times? How many times did you have to break the Imprint?"

Daydream smiled encouragingly at me. This was not information I usually divulged. In fact, I had already told them more than I had told some people I had become very close with in my last hide out. Still, something in their eyes told me to tell them. "Well," I sighed, "it seems that I'm…unimprintable."


	4. Unimprintable

"Is unimprintable a word?" Daydream asked, seeming unaffected by this information.

"No, but it should be. Don't you think?"

The three male vampyres stared at me with uncertainty. I couldn't really blame them. It was a hard concept to wrap your head around. It had been scientifically proven that humans would Imprint with certain vampyres. Though it was still unclear why some bites caused Imprints and others didn't it was still a fact that humans and vampyres would Imprint. I, however, seemed to be immune to it.

"Unimprintable?" Erol asked, incredulously. He always seemed to be the first to regain the ability to speak. "You've never Imprinted?" I shook my head. "Is that even possible?"

"Yes," I scoffed, though I was still uncertain. Supposedly there were a handful of humans who were unaffected by the blood bond. I had yet to meet a single one or even someone who had met one. Still, I told myself that I was not alone.

Suddenly, Daydream's arm was around my shoulders and she was staring the men down defiantly. "There will be plenty of time for questions and staring at her like she's a sideshow later." The three men looked at their feet sheepishly. I tried not to smile at the satisfied look on Daydream's face as she had successfully made all of her friends feel guilty in a single sentence. "But I think that Mari should take a shower and eat before she has to pretend to ignore you people."

The guys mumbled their apologies while Daydream ushered me out of the room and into the tunnels. "That took talent," I whispered to her when we were out of the earshot of the men.

"Thank you," she sighed, flipping her hair proudly over her shoulder. "It takes years of practice to get the guilt down like me." We laughed then continued our silent walk to the showers. I was surprised to see that the tunnels beyond the common area were as nice as the halls in a hotel. Well…not a great hotel but, once again, it was still a _lot_ better than I was used to. We passed each person's room, which were little dead ends to tunnels, before we reached the showers. It was basically the same as the locker room showers in my old high school, only nicer.

"Why does this place look better than most above ground hideouts I've been in?" I asked, looking around.

Daydream smiled happily. "We make sure to keep it in shape. The kid who fixed it up was astoundingly creative when it came to building." I looked around, marveling at the idea of building anything. I was handy to have around and I knew my way around a car…but an actual building? "I have some clean clothes in my room if you'd like."

I looked at the petite Asian girl then thought about my own shape and size. I wasn't huge but I wasn't exactly skinny and I was definitely five inches taller than Daydream. "I don't think your clothes would fit me."

Daydream shook her head and giggled, the most adorable giggle I've heard in my life. "No, I have clothes from…" she trailed off. They were the clothes of her friends who got Bagged. I recognized the expression on her face.

"Clean clothes would be wonderful, thank you." I watched Daydream leave and then caught a glimpse of another ragged looking girl standing in front of me. Much to my surprise…it was a mirror. I was horrified as I looked at my stringy brown pony tail, my stained sweatshirt and pants not to mention the frightening bags under my eyes. If I met myself in a dark alley I would have run the other way. I quickly underdressed, careful of the bruises and gashes that covered my body, and stepped into the shower.

I hardly had the water going when Daydream came back. "I hope these work," she called to me.

"I'm sure they're fine." There was a moment of silence but I could tell she was still there. "Something wrong?"

"No, no…it's just…I'm the only girl here. Everyone else was Bagged so…I've been without girl friends for a while. I was…well if it's not too creepy can I talk to you while you shower?"

I smiled silently in the water. I knew the feeling. Something told me that wasn't where the similarities between Daydream and I stopped. "Sure, no worries. I actually don't really want to be alone right now." It was the truth. I'd been scared as all hell of Baggers finding me not to mention a couple of the big bads I had pissed off. You know, a fallen priestess (not Neferet. Zoey had that one covered.), church zealots and a magically inclined cult leader. I was alright with having someone in the strange room with me. It didn't help that Jordan worried me a little.

"So, are you sure you're unimprintable?"

"Yes," I laughed. "I'm quite certain."

"I mean…maybe you have to be in love or—"

"Nope," I sighed. "Not through love or sex. I've dated vampyres before…" For vampyres, foreplay largely consisted of drinking blood so I wasn't just assuming.

"So do you have a vampyre boyfriend now?" Daydream asked, excitedly.

I soaked my hair under the shower nozzle, trying not to get emotional. "Not in about seven months. My last boyfriend was killed so…I haven't been very into the dating scene." It was horrible and led to awkward apologies from the people I told but I figured I should get that story out of the way.

"Oh I'm sorry," she sighed, just as I had expected. "I can't imagine losing Desmond." I smiled. She _would_ be dating Desmond. "It's a pity your boyfriend had to die."

I smiled. "Death is only unfortunate for the living."

Daydream gasped. "That is a line from my favorite book of all times." I was glad she couldn't see my face because I couldn't hide the shame on my face. "It's called _My Afterlife._ It's about this girl who dies and…oh you'd just have to read it." I heard her rummaging through a bag. "Here, I always keep it with me. _My Afterlife _by Mari A. Diana…" She trailed off and I knew why. "Oh my goddess…that's _you_ on the inside flap!!! You're a writer?"

"Until they marked me down on that little list of theirs," I sighed. "But I still write. Check in my bag. There's a notebook where I continued the journeys of the main character. Go ahead and read it…no one else ever will."

I heard her scrambling for the notebook and a sigh of contentment when she found it. "Thank you Mari…I'll read it as soon as I can." I couldn't help but smile at the contentment in her voice. "So what does this coin mean?" I heard my necklace lift off of the floor. "It's got a dead guy and some weird words written on it."

"It's abbreviated Latin. It basically means 'Long Live King George V'. But that's not the important part. The other side has Athena on it, for some reason."

"Oh yeah," Daydream sighed. "The Greek goddess of something or other."

"The moon, the hunt, the list goes on."

Daydream chuckled. "Sounds kind of like Nyx." I couldn't help but agree. It was what had turned my faith to Nyx, despite my lack of a Mark. I had always felt a connection to the moon and, eventually, Athena so Nyx didn't feel like such a reach. "She has blessed you, you know."

Daydream had caught me off guard. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she made you unable to be claimed by a single vampyre if nothing else," she giggled. "That means she has plans for you."

I didn't know how to respond. Zoey Redbird, among others, had hinted at that much but I was unable to accept it. What would Nyx want with me? I turned off the water and grabbed my towel. "I need to get dressed so…scat," I said, jokingly.

Daydream moved into the next shower stall, still jabbering away about how lonely she'd been with just the guys to keep her company. I didn't understand that. I hated girls, for the most part. They were drama and a nuisance. Guys were much easier to understand. While Daydream yammered on I slipped into the clothes she had laid out. Jeans and a black tank top. They fit perfectly. Somehow her friend had worn the same size as me. Thank you Nyx?

I stepped out and Daydream's jaw dropped. I was surprised it did anything but talk. "Mari…you are gorgeous." I blushed, I hated when people said things like that. I turned to face the mirror. I still had some serious bags under my eyes but I looked much cleaner. I was a lot thinner than I had been when I'd set out from my last hideout but I still had my curves. "I didn't know that your sweatshirt was hiding such a fantastic body."

"Thanks, but please stop."

Daydream smiled and led me out of the showers and into the tunnels. There Jordan waited for us. He smiled and my heart skipped a beat. He was beautiful, as all vampyres were, but he had a dangerous quality to him. I was afraid and attracted to him all at the same time. "Hey, Kōngxiǎng, would you mind giving me a moment with Mari here?" Daydream nodded happily and, completely ignoring my silent signals for "no" skipped away.

As soon as Daydream was out of my sight I turned to Jordan. "What do you want?"

He sighed and stared at his shoes. "I deserve the attitude, I know."

I stared at him. "You know, a verbal match only works if you fight back."

Jordan laughed and threw his head back. "No…I don't want to fight you. I want you to understand."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest and gave him a stern glare. It was a glare that made most people scared but he seemed unaffected. "You tried to take that girl's blood by force. That's a terrible thing to do. Not to mention the fact that there were Baggers right across the street who could have seen you and—"

"Exactly," he shouted. "You're pretty smart, for a human. Don't you see? I was trying to get Bagged."


	5. My Blood

I stared at the _obviously_ crazy vampyre. "You wanted to get Bagged?" He nodded solemnly, leaning against the stone wall of the tunnel. "Why the hell would you want to do that?"

Jordan sighed and stared at me. "Haven't you ever wanted it to end?" He stood straight and moved towards me. "Haven't you wanted to just give up and turn yourself in? Just give in?"

He was uncomfortably close now. "No," I whispered, not because I was afraid of being heard but because that was as loud as I could get. "I have never wanted to give them the satisfaction. Besides…what if capturing you had led them to your friends?"

He shook his head. "It wouldn't have."

"But what if it had?" I found my voice and shouted at him, my voice seeming more powerful than ever. I had a difficult time talking to someone who could throw the safety of his friends about so carelessly. "Clearly you don't care so I'll just be on my way."

A strong hand grabbed my arm as I tried to start off down the tunnel. I looked at Jordan's tan hand as it held me in my place. "I just want you to understand…"

"Why?" I asked, trying to keep my voice strong. It was not easy with such an obviously powerful vampyre clinging to my arm. "Why do you care what I think?"

He opened his mouth to speak but, finding no words, closed his mouth quickly. He repeated this a few times, looking more and more flabbergasted while looking ridiculously similar to a fish. "I don't know," he growled finally. "I just feel like your opinion of me matters…" He stared off into the darkness. "Just forget it. I don't know what I was thinking." He released my arm and set off down the tunnel, mumbling to himself.

I watched him walk away and felt a strange presence I had felt before. _Patience girl, patience,_ a voice from the bottom of my soul cooed. _He has been through much and doesn't yet understand why he is compelled to trust you._ I felt the warm presence disappear like the warm arms of a motherly embrace. I was still confused but I had grown used to this voice. It had started when I had first allowed a vampyre to drink my blood and continued to occur afterward. She was always comforting and told me what was right or wrong. Zoey had told me that it was probably the presence of Nyx but…I didn't buy that.

I shook my head and headed down the tunnel. I hadn't even been in this new hideout for an hour and I was already overwhelmed by those who inhabited it. I walked into the common area to find Desmond and Daydream cuddled on the couch while Jordan and Erol whispered in the kitchen area. I ignored the whisperers and turned to the lovers. Desmond looked me over, assessing me as a warrior.

"Isn't she ridiculously hot out of those sweats she was wearing?" Daydream asked her boyfriend. Desmond nodded, clearly not hearing a word his girlfriend said. "You really are, Mari," she sighed. I smiled at her accent. She was clearly a first generation American. "Did I tell you, Des, that she is actually my favorite author?"

This caught everyone's attention, unfortunately. "Wait," Erol chuckled, "you're Mari A. Diana?" I nodded, refusing to meet his glance. "We've heard Daydream obsess over your books for a couple of years. It's an honor to meet you." I glared at his sarcastic grin though I was glad to hear him making fun of me. It made me less nervous.

Jordan chuckled suddenly, startling me. "I remember now. Your interview was one of my favorite reads for a while. 'Isn't it ironic that the government is bleeding this nation dry while trying to exterminate a species they fear will suck everyone's blood?' It was the greatest thing I've ever read!"

I felt my face redden as Jordan quoted the interview that had put me on the watch list. Apparently saying that the government was exterminating the vampyres was dangerous. The magazine ran a retraction of my comment saying that the magazine had faith in the government's actions and that there was no exterminating going on. Needless to say, I was pissed.

"It was a very brave thing to do Mari," Daydream said, comforting me.

"It was kinda stupid," Erol laughed, receiving glares from both Daydream and Desmond. "What? It was."

I opened my mouth to agree with Erol when the door swung open. A short man came barreling into the room with two fledglings. One, a girl, was following him closely while the other, a boy, was slung over the man's shoulder. The vampyre carried the fledgling, with ease, over to the couch where a spot had been quickly cleared for him. "These two have been on the run for a week and a half," he explained quickly as the boy moaned in pain. "The kid was shot by some Baggers yesterday so they've been struggling to find a hiding spot. He would have died if I hadn't seen him. If not because of the wound then because of the Baggers that were on the streets up there."

I looked over at Jordan who met my gaze before looking away sheepishly. "So we've heard," Desmond sighed, getting a better look at the boy's injuries. His female companion was sobbing so Daydream quickly went to her side. "Is the bullet still in there?"

The girl shook her head, breathing jaggedly. "I was able to pull it out." She quickly crumpled into Daydream's arms.

"We're going to need some blood, Des," the vampyre sighed. "It will help him heal up."

"I moved the stuff Jordan got into storage. I'll go get it." With that Erol left, though not as quickly as we all would have liked.

The boy moaned once more. "He's lost so much blood," Desmond said, looking despairingly at the poor fledgling.

"He needs blood _now_," the vampyre urged.

I glanced upward and whispered to Nyx, "Alright. I get it." I grabbed a knife from my backpack and dragged it across my wrist. Before anyone could stop me I grabbed the kid and put my wrist to his mouth. I watched as instinct kicked in and he began lapping up my blood. He looked at me like a baby looks at his mother when being fed a bottle. "You're going to be fine," I whispered to the kid. He blinked his big blue eyes and continued feeding. The room was silent while I fed the boy and Desmond, carefully, bandaged the boy's wounds.

"I've got the bl—" Erol stopped abruptly as he saw my blood. He sniffed the air and gulped a little before meeting my eye. As if that jerked him awake he rushed over and opened the packet of blood.

I started to remove my wrist from his mouth but the boy grabbed hold with his teeth. I winced a little but tried not to let the pain show. I looked into his eyes. "That's enough," I told him and he slowly let go. Erol gave him the blood packet and I quickly wrapped gauze from my backpack around my wrist. I always carried it with me for occasions such as this.

When I looked up from my wrist everyone was watching me. Some in admiration, some in confusion and everyone else like I was insane. Desmond, one of the confused ones, took my place beside the fledgling and glanced underneath the bandages at his wound. I stood and quickly collapsed in a chair. The kid could drink a _lot_. I looked up to see Jordan handing me a glass of orange juice and a cookie. "Thank you for donating blood," he said with a smirk. I didn't have enough energy to respond.

"That was really cool of you but dangerous," the vampyre sighed, staring at me with unsure eyes.

"Dangerous things are typically pretty cool," Erol chuckled, still eying my wrist. "Besides there wasn't much danger in it. This is Mari, she is unimprintable."

The vampyre bowed his head, though still looking confused. "I'm Jason. I've heard of humans who couldn't Imprint but…I've never met one before." I nodded, familiar with this speech.

Desmond looked up from the boy's wound. "His wound is completely healed." Everyone stared at me. "Maybe there is a reason your blood can't be claimed."


	6. Instrument of Nyx?

_***Sorry it's been a while and sorry this is ridiculously short but I'll be updating again soon. This is for you xXxSTARKxXx :-P ***_

Everyone's eyes, for the BILLIONTH time that day, found me. Have I mentioned yet how annoying it was? They all looked confused except for Daydream who looked like another little piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. "How is that even possible?" Jason demanded, tearing his eyes from me. He investigated the boy's wounds. Or should I say scars? There was still some bruising but he was healed in every other way.

"I believe her blood is blessed by Nyx," Desmond sighed, looking at me like I was some holy object. "It would explain her inability to Imprint. If it can heal us, bring us back from the brink of death, it would only make sense for Nyx to not allow one vampyre to claim it."

"Not yet anyways," Daydream said, melodiously. Everyone turned to stare at her. She just smiled and everyone turned back to me.

"Did you know about your blood, Mari?" Erol asked.

I shrugged. "I knew it had certain healing properties but, no I've never seen it work that fast."

"Maybe it's because I'm a fledgling," the boy said, sitting up as though he had never been shot in his life. "Maybe, because I'm not a full strong vamp, it hit me quicker." Now everyone stared at the fledgling which gave me time to think. I had let a few fledglings feed from me but they'd never had those results.

"Maybe it's because he's needed," Daydream and I whispered at the same time. The rest of the room fell silent while Daydream and I shared a knowing look. "Maybe it has nothing to do with Mari's blood, though it is what he needed to heal, but maybe it healed so quickly because Nyx is going to need him." Daydream took over, saying exactly what I was thinking.

"So," Desmond sighed, seeming to be the only one who could follow mine and Daydream's train of thought. "Mari, is an instrument of Nyx?"

Everyone's eyes, of course, turned to me…


	7. Alone With My Thoughts

Daydream told everyone that I needed my rest and some food and ushered me to the one extra room. Thankfully, Daydream's word seemed to be law so no one argued with her. This gave _me_ time to question everything that had happened. I mean, you be told that you're an instrument to a goddess and see how you handle it. I was confused to say the least. Then there was the matter of me somehow coming to the conclusion that this fledgling was special without knowing how. Daydream said that it was okay and that it happened to her all of the time, but that didn't soothe me. At least she was a prophetess, Marked by Nyx as a chosen being.

I was a human. A lowly human—

There was a sudden noise and I stood up beside my cot. Jordan was standing at the entry way to my quarters with an amused look on his face. "It's so funny. I can tell when you start to think about something important or scary because your fingers clamp onto that coin around your neck."

I looked down and saw Athena's face staring, knowingly, from between my fingers. I let her drop and scowled at the vampyre. "So is your goddess given ability Super Stalker-ness?" I asked. Alright, not clever, but I didn't like being spied on.

He smiled and revealed a sandwich and chips on a plate. "You've been in here for four hours. I thought you might need something to eat." I stared at the ground sheepishly. "I believe the phrase you are looking for is, 'Thank you'."

"Thank you," I said, begrudgingly. I tried very hard not to look at him because I knew I would get sucked into his dark eyes and his brilliant smile. I knew that I would stare at his beautiful Mark, still thinking about how he had avoided telling me what his goddess given gift was just now. I knew that I would find myself wanting to throw myself at this vampyre in the most repulsive and skanky ways possible. I knew all of this, but I looked anyways. He smiled and I began to fall into what I had tried to avoid but instead my thoughts turned to the time. "Wait, four hours?"

"Yeah," he chuckled softly, "it's getting pretty late for a human."

I scoffed at the patronizing way he had said that. "I don't exactly keep human times."

Jordan rolled his eyes as if he was annoyed but his smile seemed amused. "Of course you don't. I should have guessed." He looked into my eyes and I suddenly felt naked. It was like he was probing my soul. I didn't have anything to hide in there but, still, it was a little unnerving. "So how are you handling this instrument of Nyx thing?"

"I'm still not entirely buying it," I laughed in a really nervous and unattractive way. "I mean I believe in Nyx and all but, I can't see why she would make me her instrument. You know?" I said, without taking a single breath.

He cocked an eyebrow upwards and leaned up against the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest. Suddenly he seemed like James Dean and Heath Ledger rolled into one. "You question it because you are human and normally her instruments are vampyre priestesses?" I nodded. "But you can provide something they can't. Your blood. I mean, sure we can drink from one another but human blood does more for us. It's life. It's something no vampyre can provide."

I looked down at my feet. Suddenly, I didn't seem so special. It was like I was a vitamin or something. It made me feel less important, which was _exactly_ what I needed. "I guess that makes sense," I sighed. He handed me the plate and turned to leave. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

He stopped and turned around. The hallway was dark and all I could really make out was his mouth as it curled into a smile. "You know, I'm wondering the same thing."

With that he turned and marched down the hall. I closed the curtain that separated my room from the hall and leaned against a wall. That was what I hated about vampyre men. One minute they were making your heart thump out of your chest and the next they were saying something stupid and leaving. I looked down at my sandwich and sighed as he illustrated my point.

He'd cut my sandwich in half, diagonally, and cut the crust off.


	8. Daydream

My skin glistened as the lights in the room reflected off of my scars. I usually wore long sleeves because of this. Not because I was ashamed of my scars, just because I got distracted by them. I could be entertained for hours by just examining them. I heard a tapping noise and looked up to see Daydream knocking on the entryway of the room. "It gets cold down here at night so I thought you could use some extra blankets," she said, sitting down at the end of my bed.

"Thanks," I sighed.

She nudged the plate with crumbs on it. "When did you get something to eat?"

"Jordan brought it to me." Daydream smiled at me, her almond shaped eyes sparkling with mischief. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just interesting." I continued to stare. "It's a dream thing."

I shook my head, dismissively, and sighed. This had been a long day. "Daydream, I can't dance around this question anymore. I need to know what you dreamt of when you saw me coming. Tell me all of it."

Daydream started fiddling with the blanket she had brought. "I haven't been able to figure out most of it."

"Doesn't matter. I need it _all_."

Daydream nodded. "The first thing I saw was Nyx who told me 'Patience girl, patience.' Then she turned to the side and took the pose of that goddess on your coin. The dream kind of zoomed out, I have cinematic dreams. Very high quality." I nodded and tried to stifle a laugh. This was a very serious moment, so I forced myself to be somber.

"Anyway, as it zoomed out I saw the letter S for a brief second before zooming in on the girl's neck. I watched as a man bit into her neck and heard her moan. Not in pleasure or in pain. It was unlike anything I've ever heard." The vampyre's voice had faded and now had a mystical quality to it. Her warm brown eyes seemed cloudy. Daydream suddenly wasn't a sweet young girl but a worn and worldly prophet. "I followed a trickle of blood as it ran down her neck and could almost feel its power drawing me in. It fell off of her shoulder and exploded into the night sky. As the night enveloped me I saw a girl, made of stars, running from men with white bags in their hands and shining badges where their hearts should be. As the star girl ran she left behind a trail of blood and flowers emerged from the ground where it fell. She stopped only when she came to four figures with bags over their head.

"She removed one bag to see a fledgling turn into a vampyre who knelt down before her. She removed the next bag to find a man who was shrouded in darkness but, at her touch, became a brilliant light. She removed the third bag to see a man whose lust for her and her blood manifested itself into a dark red rose which he tucked into her hair. She removed the final bag to see a man who ripped the shiny badge from his chest to reveal his true heart. The men became dust and blew through the star girl." Daydream shook her head and her eyes and face turned to normal. "Then I woke up."

I was stiff. Stunned. I couldn't understand half of her dream but something told me that it meant more than I could possibly imagine. I had dealt with prophetesses before but none like Daydream. I was just a human and even I could sense her amazing power. She didn't get her dreams from "The Network" as most with her gift did. Her dreams came straight from Nyx. I just knew it. "So," I managed to whisper. "What have you figured out?"

Daydream shrugged. "I know that you must be the star girl and that the men chasing you are obviously Baggers." I nodded in agreement. "So then, that last man under the bag must be a Bagger, although why he removes the badge I don't understand. Other than that, I'm not certain of anything." I couldn't sit anymore. I jumped up and started pacing. "Why do you think you were made of stars?"

I stopped pacing for a moment and looked at her. "I hadn't even thought about it. It just seemed like a weird dream aspect. Do you suppose it matters?" Daydream nodded. "Of course it does." I continued pacing.

"Look," Daydream said, with a smile on her face, as she jumped up to stop me from pacing. "This is why I didn't tell you. I knew you would try to figure it out. It really isn't something you should worry about. The goddess was telling _me_ what I need to know in order to help _you_." I looked at the vampyre. Her smile and eyes were so kind and her hands felt so warm and comforting. I felt as though I had known her my entire life. Like she was my best friend and I had simply forgotten her.

I sighed and shook my head. "Daydream, trouble follows me. No matter where I go it manages to find me. I would hate to think that I've brought more than my share to you guys. It seems you've already seen enough."

"Mari," Daydream giggled, "we _are_ trouble. It didn't follow you, you found it." She gave me a wink and I smiled despite the overwhelming urge I had to cry. "Besides which, the goddess sent you here. She guided you to the entrance of a hideout that hundreds of people stare at everyday and don't even notice. She pulled you through tunnels which most people would get lost in. She gave you to us just when that fledgling needed your blood to survive." She smiled knowingly and suddenly looked wise beyond her years. "Whatever happens here is Nyx's will."

Then she did something I rarely let anyone do. She hugged me. I felt so happy and safe in her arms, so I hugged her back. I had stayed in militaristic hideouts where we had the best defense and security but none of them made me feel as safe as I felt in that tunnel that night. For the first time in a while, I slept through the night without a single bad dream.


	9. Puzzle

**_*Thanks you guys for the OVERWHELMING response. Seriously. xXxStarkxXx and Alec or Jasper you guys are RIDICULOUS and I love it. I hope that this chapter is up to your standards. Now I'm afraid to mess it up. Hehe. Enjoy.*_**

I was woken up just before sunset by glass shattering. Fun way to wake up, huh? I jumped to my feet and was prepared to fight when I saw Erol staring at me. "Sorry," he said, clearly trying not to laugh at me. He started gathering the glass and I helped him. "This _was_ a glass of orange juice. I was going to leave it by your bed so you could drink it when you woke up. Of course I wasn't counting on my clumsiness."

"Well that's thoughtful of you I guess," I sighed as we finished picking up the pieces. "Though a little creepy that you planned on sneaking in while I was asleep."

He gave me a devilish grin then glanced at my wrist. "You're healed already?"

I glanced fown at my newest scar from the night before. "Oh, yeah. I heal quickly."

"Why am I not surprised?" he chuckled. I could feel him bubbling over with questions. "Do you usually heal _that_ quickly?" he asked carefully. I glared at him a little and he threw up his hands in defense. "I was just curious if the interaction with that boy last night had had any affects on you."

I rolled my eyes. "No, it's typical." He opened his mouth, about to ask another question. "I don't know that I can answer your questions now that your peace offering is splattered on the ground."

Erol wasn't fazed. He went to the entryway and picked a paper bag up off the floor. "I brought you reading material." He handed me the bag. "I didn't know how long you were planning on hiding from our questions."

I glanced in the bag. "Comic books?" He grinned. "You don't seem much like a comic book guy." He didn't. He was tall and athletic looking. He didn' have big muscles but he looked fast and wiry.

"Not just any comic book!" he cried. "It's a series by Joss Whedon about a futuristic slayer named Meleka Fray. It's very cool. I thought you might like it."

I stared at him. "Joss Whedon? As in the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?" Erol nodded, excitedly. "I thought most vamps were opposed to him and the negative image he gave them."

"Only if they don't know _why_ he did it," Erol scoffed, sounding like a true fanboy. "See his wife is a vampyre so she helped him create this image of vamps so that no one would suspect a thing." I was honestly impressed by his geeky knowledge. "Anyway, I've had these comics since the 7th grade and I thought that it might be time for someone to read them who hasn't done so a billion times." He grinned at me, knowing exactly how geeky he sounded, and I suddenly realized how adorable he was. "So, are you?" I stared at him. "Are you planning on avoiding us and our questions?"

"No," I laughed. "I didn't even consider it."

"Good," he said happily. A little too happily. "I mean, that Rosto kid has been eager to speak to you," he added quickly.

"Rosto?" I asked, acting oblivious to his excitement. "Who's Rosto?"

He shrugged. "No one. Just the kid whose life you saved last night." I chuckled, realizing I hadn't caught his name. "He's really grateful and, I think, a bit enamored of you."

I rolled my eyes. "He saw me for three minutes, and most of that time he was drinking my blood."

"Maybe it's something special in your blood," Erol replied, without skipping a beat. I suddenly realized that he was staring at my wrist again. I caught his eye and he blushed. "Sorry, I'm just intrigued. I don't look like much but I like figuring things out. I mean, when I was nine I took apart the engine to my mom's car to figure out how it worked. You're just like a…"

"Puzzle?" I suggested. Erol nodded, happy he didn't have to continue explaining. It was kind of cute the way he was blathering on. "I get that a lot."

He grinned at me. "Well then, let's get you out there Miss Mari. There are a few of us who would have a crack at this puzzle."

He wasn't kidding. When I walked into the living room type of area, everyone went silent and stared at me. Desmond was peering at me like he was trying to figure out his next move in chess or something. Jason, however, looked kind of angry. He seemed like the kind of guy who was afraid of what he didn't understand. There was another vampyre there who I hadn't met the night before. He was surprisingly Dracula-esque. Almost how I pictured Louis from _Interview with a Vampire._ His hair was shoulder length and dark and his pale skin shone from beneath it. His grey eyes found me and an entrancing smile crossed his face. "Ah, you must be Mari," he said, in a velvety voice. "I am Liam. I am afraid I was out when you were in the lime light yester night but Daydream, among others, has informed me of all the happenings."

The boy, Rosto, stood up and smiled at me. "I'm among the others," he said, giving me a big welcoming smile.

He opened his mouth to say more but was quickly interrupted by Jason. "I don't see how we can stand here and make pleasantries. I say we—"

Liam put up a commanding hand. "I think we all have heard what you have to say on the matter, Jason." Everyone exchanged exasperated expressions.

"What matter?" I asked, looking around the room. "Is there something I should know?"

Everyone grimaced, afraid to hurt my feelings, or whatever. Only Desmond could speak. "Jason is worried that you might draw the attention of the Baggers, or worse."

I stared, trying hard to control my emotions. "What's worse than Baggers?"

Daydream cleared her throat. "There are many mystical forces we have come up against and we wouldn't want to get mixed up in again. Jason is worried that—"

"I don't know that you were made by Nyx at all," Jason said, plainly. "I would like it if you would just leave. This boy seems completely enamored of you and I think it must mean that there is a strange addictive quality to your blood."

I stood, my mouth dropped wide open, and stared at the vampyre. My blood began to boil. I didn't mind him not trusting me, that came with strangers at this time. We couldn't just trust anybody. But this? This was too far. Daydream grabbed my hands. "But he is the only one who thinks that." She gave me a sweet smile. "I know you're a gift from the goddess's hands."

Jordan laughed. "So on one hand she's a mystical implement meant to bring us down and on the other hand she's a gift from the goddess. No pressure Mari."

I couldn't help but agree. Still, Rosto walked up to me, his blue eyes shining beneath the dark brown hair that fell in front of his face. "I think that there is nothing wrong with her. I agree with Daydream. She's a gift from Nyx, herself."

The pretty little redheaded girl who had shown up with Rosto, smiled at me from the couch. "You saved my cousin from the hands of death. You may be a gift from Nyx or maybe just a nifty human. Either way, I appreciate your presence."

Erol's hand braced the small of my back and I looked back to see him smiling supportively. I knew where he stood. I knew I shouldn't ask. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I knew that I shouldn't ask. But I did. "So where do you stand?" I asked Liam. I looked to Desmond. "Or you for that matter."

Desmond looked to Liam who gave me a knowing smile. "I think, my dear, that you are more than a gift from Nyx. But, perhaps, a goddess yourself."


	10. Curiouser and curiouser!

_***Sorry it's been forever. Life got in the way. Luckily for ya'll, my little sister found out about this story and is pushing me to continue. More will be coming soon…I hope!***_

I began laughing hysterically. "A goddess? You're kidding right?" Liam shook his head, though his smile still remained. "No, no, no. I'm no goddess. I'm human through and through. Hence the blood and the seemingly short life span."

Liam chuckled. "Maybe not a goddess." I smiled and nodded at the strange vamp. "But perhaps half a goddess." Now I fell still. "Perhaps the daughter of Nyx herself."

I stared for a moment, in silence, before I burst out laughing again. "No. I am in no way the daughter of Nyx. I mean, come on."

I looked to Daydream for backup but she just stared. "It…might explain why you were made of stars in my dream."

"No, vampyres are the children of Nyx. You are all marked by her and everything."

"Who are your parents, Mari?" Liam asked, seeming amused by my freaked out expression.

"Well, I'm adopted but…" Everyone stared at me, except for Jason and Jordan, with smiles on their faces. "But I'm a human. Not a frigging GODDESS. I mean…that's insane. That's—"

Liam put up a hand and I immediately shut up. Something told me he was the lead vampyre in this group because I instinctively wanted to do what he told me to do. "These are only theories, of course my dear. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to fear. Even if we were certain of you being a goddess we certainly wouldn't expect anything, yet." I didn't like his use of the word yet.

"If it helps," Jordan added, "I don't think you're a goddess at all Mari."

"Me neither," Jason grumbled.

"Regardless," Liam sighed, "we believe it is in your best interest for you to stay here." He looked and sounded pleasant, but I could sense his irritation with Jason and Jordan. "In the meantime, we should worry about our two brothers who did not come home last night." Everyone looked grim. "So, Erol and Desmond, would you two please accompany me to the surface in case they need help?" The two men nodded and Liam turned to Daydream. "I would like it if you came too but would understand if you felt the need to stay with Mari."

Daydream looked to me. "Go," I chuckled, though it came out sort of choked. Daydream nodded to Liam and, with a silent grace, the group left the room. I sighed with relief, knowing that Liam was no longer staring at me expectantly, but quickly felt pressure again when I noticed Rosto and his cousin staring at me. I looked to the girl. "I'm sorry, I haven't caught your name."

"Kimmy," she chuckled, pushing her beautiful red hair out of her face. "You know," she sighed, "I don't think you're a goddess."

I smiled. "Neither do I." I appreciated being left with the three vampyres who didn't insist that I was a goddess. Jason, Jordan and Kimmy knew I was a regular human, weird blood or not. Rosto, however, still stared at me as though I had a frigging rainbow sprouting out of my head. I raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"I don't know if you are or aren't a goddess," he sighed, "and I don't really care. I see a good person in front of me, nothing else." This made me smile. Normally I didn't even see myself as a good person. I mean, I'd had to kill other humans and vamps for goddess's sake. I thought of myself as…well not a bad person but certainly not a good person.

"What makes you think she's a good person?" Jason scoffed. I suddenly felt the urge to punch him.

"Without being asked, she sliced her wrist open and allowed me to drink her blood, something I needed or else I'd die," Rosto said proudy.

Jason laughed. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen ."

"Then you're old enough to have learned about the chemical reaction that occurs when we drink from humans. If she'd just wanted to get—"

"That's enough," Jordan 's voice boomed, rather suddenly. "Mari helped out and, instead of being thankful, you're attacking her. What's your problem?" Jordan stared hard at his fellow vampyre.

Jason broke eye contact looking pretty pissed. "Quit it Jordan."

"He wants to protect you guys and is angry that you're not letting him," I said simply, though I, once more, had no idea how I had jumped to that conclusion. "He's afraid that I might be dangerous but rather than show his fear he'd rather be mad."

Jason opened his mouth to reply but instead left it open. He tilted his head to the side and stared at me. "Yeah…pretty much. Good guess…"

I shook my head. "It was no guess. I know how you feel." Jason nodded, looking down at his shoes. He didn't know _what _to make of me. "So what did you do before you went into hiding?"

"I was a Son of Erebus with Desmond." As if he had to say so. He had it written all over his face. Jason was short but his muscles and the serious look on his face _screamed_ protector. "Please stop," Jason sighed, interrupting my train of thought. "You're eyes are almost as penetrating as Jordan's." I glanced over and saw Jordan giving Jason signals to shut up.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Jordan can read minds err…intent. Big difference, so he says. You can tell when he does it because you feel practically naked."

He didn't have to tell me. I knew the feeling. I shot a glare at Jordan who rolled his eyes in return. "Way to go Jason," he sighed. "I wasn't going to tell her."

Kimmy made a face. "That's a little creepy. You were going to use it on her and not tell her. Privacy violation." I smiled. I was beginning to like this girl.

I turned to Jordan. "So what intent have you read from me?" He looked around the room and I suddenly felt embarrassed. He'd felt me wanting to throw myself at him the night before. I turned on my heels and headed for the hall. "Oh, come on Mari. It's not that bad." I kept walking away. "Where are you going?" he called out.

"You should know!" I replied with anger, though I was really just humiliated.

"What are you even going to do in your room?"

"Read comic books!"


	11. Rosto

I stayed in my room for a while, flipping through the comic books Erol had given me. The Meleka Fray chick was pretty awesome. She was all strong and heroic, as a slayer should be, while still totally a girl and a smart ass. Suddenly I wanted to be her. Lame right? I was a third of the way into the fourth comic book when I heard someone outside my room. I waited but they just scuffled their feet behind my curtain. Someone was clearly debating whether they should come in or not. I stood and yanked the curtain open, expecting to see Jordan waiting to sneak up on me. Instead, I startled a nervous looking Rosto.

"Hi," he practically squeaked. "Am I bothering you?"

I shook my head. "Come on in, kiddo." I wasn't much older than the kid, only four years, but I had an annoying habit of talking to people like that. Calling people deary, sweety, kiddo and other things a grandmother would say. My friends used to say I was just a young looking grandma…you know, back when I _had_ friends. "What's up?" I asked after he'd looked around my room.

"I just wanted to come and hang out with you. Jason and Jordan are playing Kimmy in chess so I felt like the odd man out."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Both of them are playing her?"

Rosto smiled proudly. "The odds are _still_ against them." He chuckled then looked at me, his blue eyes smiling. "I wanted to thank you for yesterday. I was going to die and…" He trailed off. "I know they all think I'm…what was it they kept saying? Enamored? Look, I'm just grateful and amazed. It took real courage." I opened my mouth to respond but he put a hand up. "I know about the 'chemical reaction', I'm not an idiot, but that's not what I'm talking about. You cut your wrist open for some guy you didn't even know. That's amazing in my book."

I stared at the fledgling. He'd spoken so earnestly and, I can't lie, it was really touching. "Well, thank you," I sighed. He nodded, suddenly seeming so grown up. It made me think. How old was this kid again? Eighteen? Shouldn't he be making the change soon? I felt my stomach knot up. I'd seen what happened to fledglings who didn't make it and I did not want to see it again. "So, what is your affinity? Do you know?"

Rosto smiled and pulled a seed from his pocket. Before I knew what was happening the seed sprouted in his palm. "I guess it's an affinity for earth but specifically plants." I inspected the tiny plant in his hand. "They used to call me stump because I can place my hand on a stump and the tree reforms."

"Wow," I chuckled, staring at the boy. "Here I thought maybe you'd be super fast or something. Sorry for underestimating you."

Rosto sat with me and talked for a little while, talking about his cousin and his time at his House of Night before the Baggings. Soon, Daydream stood in my doorway. "Hey Daydream what's—?"

"They're dead," she whispered. "Those who went to the surface yesterday are dead…that's why they never came home."


	12. Lost Friends

"Alright, I finally got her to sleep," I sighed, entering the common area. "Now, what the hell is going on?" It'd taken me two hours to get Daydream to stop mumbling about death and bags and it took her going to sleep for me to accomplish that.

"We found the body of Matthias," Liam sighed, since he seemed to be the only one who still had the ability to speak. "He was beaten and bruised, not to mention shot through the head. Execution style." I shuddered at the thought. "Daydream went to close his eyes and saw him being beaten and killed as well as Kevin suffering a similar fate. It seemed that the Baggers who were attempting to take Kevin lost themselves and beat him to death."

"He didn't fight back?" Kimmy asked, seeming truly disturbed.

Jason shrugged. "He was our poet laureate…can't see him putting up much of a fight." Kimmy shut her eyes tight as though this caused her pain.

Jordan slammed his fist down on the table. "I should have stuck close to him," he growled, clearly angry with himself. "There was no way he'd be able to protect himself."

"There was no way you could have known," Erol sighed, rubbing his temples with his forefingers.

Jordan stared at me. I couldn't really read his eyes, like I could others, but I understood where his mind had gone. He blamed himself. He was replaying the conversation we had had the other night. "Did you find the body of Kevin?" I asked, trying to ignore Jordan's penetrating eyes.

"If we are to trust Daydream's vision, they took his body back to examine," Liam said. Seeing everyone's response to Daydream's visions before, I knew that we were trusting them.

I shook my head. "I'm so sorry you guys."

"Was there any sign of the Baggers tonight? Like, maybe they somehow figured out where our lair is?" Jordan asked. He was so distressed by the whole situation. I absolutely HATE when men are sad or show any weakness whatsoever so his expression pained me more than I can say. He looked so upset and hurt.

"No," Desmond replied, finally able to speak. "They're gone. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be alert. They know that there may be vamps here now. We'll have to be careful."

Jordan's eyes burned the back of my head but I didn't dare turn to look at him. "Maybe we should only send Mari out for the next few days," Jason suggested.

"Mari is on the watch list," Erol reminded him. "She's just as bad as we are."

"But she isn't branded like we are," Jason retorted, pointing at his Mark.

"We'll see," Liam's voice boomed, taking charge of the conversation once more. No one else seemed to notice the vampyre losing his cool whenever he lost control. "I'd hate to risk our—" he paused, mouth shaped like he was going to say "g". He refrained from calling me a goddess, but everyone smiled, knowingly. "Our special guest. But we'll see how things go over the next few days. In the meantime, meeting adjourned. I'm hungry."

Liam went to the kitchen, dragging Rosto and Kimmy with him, to get to know them. Desmond excused himself so that he could go see to Daydream. Jason headed off to his room, mumbling about how he was okay risking _my_ safety. Jordan gave me one look then headed out into the main tunnel. I followed. I didn't know what I thought I would accomplish by not leaving him alone but I knew that I wanted to follow him. "You were right Mari. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Jordan asked, stopping abruptly and turning to stare at me. His eyes were wide and his face red. He was pissed.

"Of course not," I scoffed. What kind of heartless bitch did he think I was? "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Despite my better judgment, I took a step toward him. Dangerous vamp or no, he was hurting. I can't stand seeing others in pain. He looked me over, trying to get a read on me. "Were you close to them?" I asked, uncomfortable with the silence. It was an awful silence that filled my ears and echoed through the tunnel. I don't care if it makes sense or not. It was how that moment felt.

"Kind of…no, not really," he admitted. His body language softened. His shoulders slouched and his eyes looked kind again. This guy was bipolar, I swear! "They were close to one another…and Daydream. I was always irritated by them. They just got in the way…"

I understood. He felt bad for not caring about them. I'd been through the same thing a number of times. It never got easy. "You couldn't have known—"

"Please don't," he said, abruptly. "Don't try to make me feel better. It will only backfire." He reached over and grabbed my shoulder, looking into my eyes. "But thanks." He turned and quickly disappeared down the hall.

"This isn't the first time he's been through this," Erol said from behind me, making me jump.

"Holy crap! How long have you been there?" He smiled and gave a shrug. "Really putting your stalker powers to use, eh?"

Erol chuckled before looking somewhat serious again. "His girlfriend was taken by Baggers six months ago under his watch." I closed my eyes. "Yeah, it sucked. He was inconsolable and just kept blaming himself. I started to wonder if he was going to commit suicide."

_He was,_ I realized. _But I stopped him._


	13. Dream Come True

"So, what is Liam's affinity?" I asked, popping a handful of popcorn in my mouth. Erol and I were hanging out in his room three nights after Daydream saw the vision of her friends' death. We'd spent the last few nights being quiet and respectful of the memory of the killed vamps. Desmond, Jason and Jordan were a wreck. They each seemed to think that they should have been there for their fallen comrades. It was awful seeing three obviously strong men crumbling under the pressure of guilt and grief.

"He's a Tracker of sorts," Erol replied, through a mouth full of Fritos. "He used to work for this prophetess finding the people she saw in visions. He can sense destiny on someone…or something like that."

I snickered. "He can _sense_ destiny?!"

"Or something like that," Erol chuckled, defensively. "He can tell if someone is important to the future." I laughed, still thinking that the whole thing sounded ridiculous. "That's why everyone is so inclined to believe him about you."

Suddenly the whole thing wasn't so funny. "I'm tired of arguing with you people about that."

Erol shrugged. "Well, I don't think you're a goddess…"

"Yet you are on the goddess side of arguments in meetings."

"I don't know," Erol sighed. "He's just so convincing when he's talking about it."

I sighed. Their reliance on this vampyre confused me. Liam's word was final and everyone stood at attention when he spoke but no one could answer why. Not even Daydream, who'd come out of her nightmares long enough to speak to me. "Whatever you say," I sighed, unwilling to fight with Erol about this.

Erol glared playfully at me then nudged my side with his elbow. I squeaked, revealing my weakness. I'm incredibly ticklish. "What is this?" he asked, elbowing me again. I laughed and tried to wiggle away but he grabbed me. "I'm sorry. Is the mighty and magical Mari ticklish?" He tickled me on either side, me screaming the whole time, until he was practically lying on top of me. He grinned. "Vampyre conquers human once again."

I laughed and began to fight to get him off of me. "I haven't even begun to fight."

I started to get away and he pulled me back down with ease. "I think not," he chuckled. I smiled back until I saw a strange look come into his eyes. I knew that look. Was he really going to kiss me? Was I going to let him? He started to lean in when we heard someone clear their throat from the doorway. It was Jordan, of course.

"Mari, you're going topside," Jordan said, in a halting tone. I couldn't tell if he was disgusted or wanted to laugh at the position I was in.

I leapt from Erol's embrace and moved toward Jordan. "I'll be back later," I told Erol as he stared after me. "Pick out a movie for us to watch." I moved quickly toward Jordan without running. I didn't want Erol to think I was running away from him, even if that's exactly what I was doing. "So, Liam finally caved eh?" I asked Jordan. We'd all been rallying for me to be permitted to go to the surface and get some supplies, especially if we were going to be cooped up for a while. Liam, of course, pulled the "we must guard our goddess" card and manipulated the conversation away from me.

"Yeah," Jordan said, stiffly, as we made our way to the common area. "So, I didn't know you and Erol were close like that."

"Me neither," I sighed. There was a strange noise from my vampyre companion and he covered his mouth. Was that a grin I saw?

"Well he seems to like you an awful lot."

I laughed. "When I first came here he wanted to kill me. Erol must have sharper mood swings than you do if he suddenly likes me like that."

Jordan lost all mirth and stared at me, probing my thoughts with his eyes. "That's not like him. He's usually very neutral, to say the least."

"Could have fooled me," I scoffed, my sides still warm from where his hands had braced me. "He seems like a passionate fellow."

"Or maybe you're messing him up," Jordan sighed, shaking his head. "Changing him."

Thankfully, we were now in the common area and I didn't have to deal with Jordan and his uncomfortable stares any longer. Liam, Desmond and Rosto stood by the main door, staring at me expectantly. Rosto had a back pack on. _Oh crap,_ I thought.

"Rosto has decided to go with you," Liam said, in his velvety smooth voice. "He wishes to protect you, though I wish you'd do the same for him."

Rosto glared at the head vampyre. "Why would she have to look out for me?"

"Well she hasn't been shot recently, fledgling," Desmond replied, seeming almost amused for the first time since his friends had turned up dead. "Besides, she's older." Rosto's face tightened as the older vamp poked fun at him. Rosto had made it clear in the last few days that he considered himself as mature as the rest of us. This, of course, only made him the subject for age related teasing. He was too easy.

Rosto now turned to me. "Mari, are you okay? You're flushed."

My hands shot up to my face. My encounter (yes…let's just call it an encounter) with Erol had left my face hot and, I would bet, red. "She tripped coming into the hall when I called her," Jordan answered without hesitation. "Fell flat on her face. She's been red faced our whole walk over here."

I glared at Jordan. "Well, you'll have to be more careful on the surface," Liam said, distractedly.

"She'll be fine," Rosto cried, disgusted that anyone would question my capability. It was sweet and made me feel a little bad about not wanting him to go. He was young, had already been shot by Baggers and the last thing I wanted was for him to be in my care. That rarely turned out well. "I've got the list of things we need Mari," Rosto said, grinning at me. He grasped my hand and dragged me along as he headed down the exit tunnel.

"Wait," I started to call out to the adult vampyres.

"You're the only one we aren't worried about going out there, Mari," Desmond replied as Rosto dragged me further on. "Even if someone recognizes you, you're not likely to lead them back to our hideout. You're our most competent."

I scowled, cursing myself for discussing past strategies I'd had work with the Sons of Erebus. "We'll be fine," Rosto sighed, when I still hadn't stopped scowling as we made our way into town.

"I'm sure we are," I sighed as we turned into an alley. "It's just that—"

We heard a strange clicking noise and, with a scary speed, Rosto threw me to the ground. "Look out," he cried.

There was a deafening sound and Rosto went down. A man suddenly emerged from the shadows. "Oh Jesus Christ," the man cried, in an accent that told me he had to be from Queens, New York. No other place has that kind of accent. "I thought you were these Bagger thugs who'd been tailing me."

I looked down at the boy. He'd crumpled over on himself so I could see that the bullet had fully passed through him. He bled out of both ends. My eyes widened and, in a fit of fury, I slugged the gun wielder. "You son of a bitch!" The man stumbled back and ran out of the alley, holding his bloodied and, if I'd done my job right, broken nose. I tried to apply pressure to both exit and entry wound but found it difficult. Suddenly, I knew what to do. Grabbing a broken piece of glass, I sliced my wrist open.

"That's gonna get infected," Rosto chuckled, choking on his own blood. Some vital organ had been punctured. Unfortunately, I wasn't the type of person to know the positioning of organs.

"Drink," I sighed, wincing from the pain. He began to protest but I put his lips to my wrist. He quickly latched on and obeyed me. My breath quickened and I felt my head spinning. This time I couldn't deny the unbelievable feeling I was getting from him drinking my blood. The more they needed the blood, it seemed, the better the feeling of ecstasy for me.

Rosto's grip on me tightened and he began to thrash. I didn't understand what was happening. Just as suddenly as he'd started, Rosto stopped writhing and sat straight up. He looked around the alley before facing me. I saw two bonsai trees leaning over each of his eyebrows, reaching for the crescent moon in the middle of his forehead. Root systems reached from the trees and covered the sides of Rosto's face all the way to his jaw line.

"Oh my goddess," I breathed. "Your Mark…" I faded out as I heard Daydream's voice in my head.

"_She removed one bag to see a fledgling turn into a vampyre who knelt down before her."_


	14. Why?

**_*Okay, so I'd kind of lost interest in this story because...well I'm ADD and I forgot where I was going with it. BUT, I read the first chapter of Burned (yes it's up! Check the Burned page at ) and I was inspired. This is going to be a FANTASTIC book and I'm so excited. So...here we go. I've started this old habit up again. Enjoy. If you get bored in the middle, hold out for the end. I know some of you will like the end of this chapter A LOT!*_**

"Well, yes he's a full-fledged vampyre now and that's great news," I sighed. The vampyres seemed so caught up in that fact that they couldn't stand still to listen to the rest of what I was saying. "But the bad news is that that jerk thought he was shooting a Bagger. Which means they're around."

"Well," Liam said, trying to sound somber, "yes but we now have another full vampyre which increases our numbers should the Baggers find us."He put an icy hand on mine. "Find joy in this dear Mari. With your help this boy has passed into adulthood. It is a glorious thing."

I rolled my eyes. "It is _not_ because of—"

"Not your blood, no," Daydream interrupted, "that simply sustained him. Kept him alive long enough to transform. What caused his change was the act of sacrificing himself for you." She looked into my eyes, though it felt more like my soul, with her ancient prophetess personality in charge. "Whether you accept it or not, you are more than a human to the vampyre world. This young vampyre's life is testament to the fact. Nyx has made it clear that he is bound to you."

I might have protested, you know my usual "I'm nothing special" spiel, but there was a booming quality to Daydream's voice which told me not to question her decree. Instead, I looked to Erol, who had earlier said that he was on my side of the "Mari isn't worth our time" argument. He simply stared into space. I was alone in this.

It was only the four of us since the Sons of Erebus had gone to do the traditional initiation thing with their newest recruit. Kimmy, excited for her cousin, had gone to her room to do something special for him. She moved so quickly that none of us had time to question her. The three vamps I was left with didn't exactly share my concern for the Baggers. I was starting to wonder if I should find another hide out, though that would be difficult with Baggers crawling all over the place.

"This simply means that my dream is coming true," Daydream continued, interrupting my thoughts. She eyed me as though she knew I considered leaving. I wouldn't put it past her to know.

"Of course your dream is coming true my dear," Liam said, all saccharine sweet. I would say he sounded like a proud father but it was all too forced for my taste. "And Mari is showing her purpose here, little by little." He flashed me an uncomfortably toothy grin.

Before I could respond, the men returned with their newest vampyre, all smiles. Rosto's Mark was going to take some getting used to. I had grown so used to the sweet clean faced Rosto who was a young fledgling. Getting his Mark meant that he was a vampyre _**man**_ which was an uncomfortable idea to grasp. "Well," Desmond sighed, proudly, "he's officially one of us."

"Great," I cried, "now the Baggers up there will have no trouble spotting him. Isn't it great that he's been made into a giant target?" Embarrassed by my outburst and angered that these, normally intelligent, vampyres refused to be as worried about the growing threat on the surface, I stormed out of the main room.

I was overcome suddenly by intense emotions. I was so pissed that these vampyres were so blinded by Rosto going through the change and their delusions of my "greatness" that they didn't see the big picture. There were vamps and vamp supporters being Bagged and killed. The threat was ever growing as was evident by the sudden appearance of Baggers in a small town in Tennessee. It was a massacre and nobody was doing anything.

"What are you thinking about doing?" Jordan asked, startling me. I didn't realize that I was being followed. He was annoyingly sneaky. "You don't actually have the intent to do it yet so I don't know what it is."

I glared at him, though really I was trying to read his expression. I couldn't tell what he was thinking or how he felt about my outburst. His face was blank. "I'm not thinking about anything," I scoffed. I'm a terrible liar.

"You have to be." He took a step toward me. "You are seriously passionate about keeping people safe. You are passionate about wanting to help put an end to those stupid Baggers. You have to be thinking about something."

I just stared at him. He was standing there talking about _**my**_ passion with such…well…passion. It was kind of touching. "I was unaware that passion showed up in intent."

Jordan smiled and I went weak in the knees. "It showed up in your little display back there. It's showed up in your very behavior the whole time you've been here and in that interview that got you blacklisted. Face it Mari, you reek of passion." He sighed. "I used to be the same before…"

I remembered what Erol had told me about Jordan's girlfriend. "My boyfriend was killed seven months ago during a raid of our hideout."

Jordan raised a brow. "Baggers?"

"Some…some civilians too. They were scared of the vamps, thought they would bring God's wrath down on their children. Stupidest thing I ever heard. Anyway…Colin, that was his name, was supposed to be getting the fledglings out of there while we humans held off the attackers. Most of my fellow fighters died. In a moment of panic, Colin came back for me. It got him killed." The look on Jordan's face broke my heart. He was thinking about whatever the instance was when his girlfriend died. I knew this because the pain in his eyes matched the pain I felt when I awoke from the nightmares of that night.

"It sucks to survive," Jordan sighed, after a moment of silence. "No one else here felt that way when people died or disappeared. I thought I was crazy."

I smiled. "Just because you and I share the same feelings doesn't mean you aren't crazy."

Jordan laughed, loud and hard. It was the first time I'd heard him really laugh since I'd met him. "I guess so. Although, it must be good if I'm sharing emotions with a possible goddess."

"Don't do that," I snapped, frowning. "I've known those who have claimed to be gods and goddesses and I've known those who have been powerful enough for it to be true. Only terrible things come from such things."

Jordan stared at me, suddenly somber. His forehead crinkled in thought causing his Mark to bend and twist so that it made a beautiful and different shape. "Is that why you get so uppity when Liam brings up the idea?"

I nodded. "That and the fact that I don't fully trust the guy." I paused. I didn't know that I didn't trust him before I'd said it, though now it seemed obvious. He pushed the idea of me being a goddess or the offspring of Nyx so often but with little effort and everyone immediately believed him. Why? "There's something…inky about him."

Jordan cocked an eyebrow. "Inky?" he chuckled.

"You know what I mean."

Jordan paused then nodded. "It is weird the way everyone automatically agrees with him. The only people who ever question him are Jason and I. And I mean long before, when there were more of us. Jason asked why they all trusted him once but everyone dismissed him. He is able to see a person's energy and everyone thought he was just suspicious because he couldn't see Liam's energy."

"He couldn't?"

"Nope, just a wall. But I never really thought anything of it."

I hesitated. "Then do you think I'm making a big deal out of nothing too?"

Jordan smiled and locked eyes with me. "I just have faith in you. It's unreasonable, I know but…I think I'd follow you to the ends of the earth." My heart melted and any resistance I had built up to his charms faded away. I didn't move away when he leaned in toward me and I certainly didn't pull away as his lips made contact with mine, sending tingles up and down my body and making me feel like lightning was shooting out of my fingers and toes.


	15. 1 month later

_***In honor of the next House of Night book comming out I thought I'd pull an allnighter and actually update. Alright...I was up anyways and decided to write the nect chapter but I was only up because I'm excited for Burned. Can't wait to go get it in the morning. Anyways, I hope you House of Night fans enjoy Burned as well as my latest chapter. Thanks for still reading. Especially you, TheAngel'sWings. I'm glad you understand and accept my flaws. ;-) ***_

"_Mari, I'm here to help you!" Colin cries._

_I glare at him. "I don't need your help!" I reply, getting punched in the face by a Bagger as I do so. "I need you to get out of here."_

"_You're welcome Mari," Colin growls, breaking the neck of the Bagger who punched me. "Really, I live to save your ass."_

_I roll my eyes and kick a gun out of the hands of an attacking civilian. "I didn't ask you to save my ass. I'm here to save yours. You're not even supposed to be here!"_

_At that very moment I see a shudder of pain flash in Colin's bright blue eyes. He gasps and I notice that a civilian has landed an axe deep into Colin's gut._

My eyes fluttered open and I sighed in relief. I couldn't believe how glad I was to be underground hiding from the government. It was just the same dream I had every so often, except, this time, I knew why I was having it. I sat up and the reason I was having the dream stood in the doorway. "What is it Jordan?"

He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes completely avoiding me. "Did you have the dream again?"

I scoffed. I never should have told him about it. "I repeat, what do you want?"

His dark eyes fell on me, sharply probing my intentions. I had gotten used to this in the last month so I no longer felt naked when he did it. Besides which, I thought he should know that I intended to kick his ass if he loitered in my room for another moment. "So, when you said that you understood why I didn't want us to be public you lied?" he asked, sounding hurt.

I clenched my jaw. There was no way I was going to let him play the victim. He'd gotten away with it too much before he'd known me. "I said that I understood, I didn't say that I was okay with it."

I did understand. April had been an important part of his life and of the group. He didn't want people to think he'd forgotten her or feel the guilt that came with moving on. I understood. That was why I was having nightmares about my dead boyfriend. It didn't make me feel any better. I had thought that, after a week, he'd tell them. Nearly a month later, here I was.

"Mari, I—"

"Jordan," I sighed, cutting him off. "You had to have come here for a reason." I held his gaze, hoping that it was cold. I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't be a secret, an embarrassment.

He looked down at his feet. "Liam has called a meeting. I guess we have information about the outside world." I felt my heart skip a beat. We hadn't heard anything about the world outside of our tunnels the entire time I had been here. I felt sudden excitement as I jumped out of my bed and headed out of my room. "Mari, you're in your pajamas still."

I looked down at my thin tank top and booty shorts which Daydream had given me to sleep in. She had told me how hot I looked in them. That girl was desperate for female companionship so I let her pick out outfits for me. "What's wrong with my pajamas?" I asked, knowing exactly what was wrong.

Jordan stared at me, pleading with his eyes. I sighed, grabbed my old Stanford sweatshirt and threw it on over my tank top. Only then did Jordan allow me to leave my room, not that I was going to let him keep me there. As I was leaving he grabbed my arm and pulled me in front of him. I always forgot how wicked strong he was. It scared me a bit sometimes.

"You know I love being with you right?" he asked, holding me by the waist in front of him. "You're smart and beautiful and really—"

"We need to get to the meeting," I sighed, forcing my voice not to crack as one of his hands slipped under the back of my shirt. I wasn't going to do this. Especially not with a guy who wanted to pretend we weren't together. His hold on me loosened and I took off down the tunnel. I heard him trailing sulkily behind me. I understood that he was afraid and didn't know what to do but I wasn't going to be strung along until he made up his mind.

When I arrived in the common area I realized that absolutely EVERYONE was waiting. "What's happened?" I asked, suddenly concerned.

"We don't know," Kimmy sighed.

"He wouldn't let me tell everyone until you got here," Jason growled, staring daggers at Liam. The cool and collected vampyre simply smiled. I couldn't blame Jason, Liam was getting on my nerves too. But everyone seemed to blindly follow him. It was unreasonable of them but Jason and I couldn't rock the boat. Not when good hideouts were so hard to find. "So listen, I got a letter from my sister. We write in code so that any Peepers who might read them have no idea what we're talking about." Peepers were government workers who checked up on peoples' mail, IMs, phone calls, text messages, the works. "She writes as the sister of my friend Jess, you know our inside man at the gas and electric company. He gets them to me. She wrote up a list of all the big names she's heard of getting Bagged. I'm shocked there's anyone left in Hollywood."

I checked the list, acting as though I wasn't dreading the sight of one of my author friend's names. Luckily they were in the clear, though I was shocked to find out that Tom Cruise was a vampyre. He never seemed the type. Fortunately a good majority of the celebrity vamps had fled the country; Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Madonna, etc. Unfortunately, not every vamp was so lucky.

"My sister also says that there's trouble heading for her hideout," Jason continued, trying to stay all business. Truth was, he was seriously proud and protective of his sister. She was a nomadic vamp sympathizer who had done a LOT of good and never wanted to bother her brother with her problems. That's how he knew this was serious. "So I have to go to her."

"Not just you right?" Kimmy asked, deeply concerned. She'd developed a major crush on our rugged Son of Erebus. It was adorable.

Jason smiled crookedly. "No, mother hen," Kimmy scowled playfully, "I'll be taking Jordan and Daydream. Liam already told me that that's who I'm taking." Jason looked over at me with an angry glint in his eyes. He hated Liam telling him what to do.

"Me?" Jordan asked. "You sure you don't want to take Desmond?"

Jason glanced over at Desmond who shrugged. "I figured they'd be safe with Desmond and Mari in charge. But I guess that's Mari's call."

I looked at the three Sons of Erebus as they stared at me, awaiting my decision. I'd moved up the totem considerably quickly in the last month. Now I was calling shots. Fantastic. Jordan's eyes pleaded with me. He wanted to stay behind with me. "No, Jordan you need to go help Jason."

"Don't worry," Rosto piped in. "I can handle this place on my own if I have to."

Jason glared. "Shut up." Rosto stared at him, a hurt expression on his face. "No one likes a cocky young vampyre. They make the most trouble." Jason smiled at Rosto who gave a playful glare in return. "Alright, Jordan and Daydream, you two need to go pack a backpack each. I expect you to be ready to travel in forty minutes. And that includes the time it will take to _hide your Marks! _Got me?" The two nodded their understanding and Jason left the common area. Kimmy sighed as he left the room, blushed then busied herself with cleaning the kitchen. She swooned when he acted like the big man in charge.

I was busy watching the fledgling when Jordan grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me into the tunnels that connected to our rooms. His dark eyes locked with mine as he seemed to search my soul. "Do you really want me to leave you here?"

I scratched the back of my neck. "C'mon Jordan, don't make this about us. This is about Jason's sister and those she's guarding." That was bull. I was thinking about myself. I was thinking that if I had a break from him I could see things from a more objective perspective. I was thinking that time away from me might tell him how he really felt about our relationship. However, I was _never_ going to admit that completely selfish train of thought when the lives of others were on the line.

"Mari, I don't want to leave you," he sighed. When did he get all mushy?

"Well I want you to leave." He stared at me, long and hard. His gaze started to worry me and I felt my pulse pick up. "Please Jordan, I couldn't bear it if something happened while they were trying to help Jason's sister. You need to be there."

He began leaning in to me, making my heart race faster. "Mari—"

Suddenly, Erol came into the tunnel. "Hey Mari," he called out, happy to find me. I stepped away from Jordan and nodded to Erol. Something you should know about vamps, all of you who think it might be nice to date one, they are incredibly jealous. The fact that I stepped away from Jordan when Erol came around was seen by Jordan as a hit to his ego and he stormed off down the tunnel. "What's wrong with Jordan?" Erol asked, seeming irked by his friend's disappearance.

I shrugged. "We were fighting." Not far from the truth.

"As usual," Erol sighed, rolling his eyes. "Look, I was planning to walk Jordan, Jason and Daydream to the bus stop and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. You know? Get out into the fresh air."

Ah, fresh air. That had been a rare commodity since Rosto had been shot the second time by that thug in the alley. Surprisingly, the idea of air made me seriously excited. "Yes, absolutely," I answered quickly. "Hey, uh, how did you know I'd be here?" I asked, pointing to the tunnel.

Erol cocked an eyebrow. "Honestly? I can practically smell your blood at the rate it's beating." I stared at him. "That sounded a lot creepier than I meant for it to."

"Goddess I hope so," I chuckled.

I joked around with Erol for a while, well nerdded around is more like it. Eventually, we walked the three to the bus stop. I said my tearful goodbyes to Daydream, who had become like a sister to me, and never once said a thing to the pouty Jordan. I felt so conflicted as I watched him step onto the bus. On one hand, I had become quite accustomed to our…cuddling, let's say. On the other hand, he bugged the crap out of me. If he wasn't acting like a dark and misunderstood guy for his friends he was arguing with me about our…whatever the hell you'd classify us as.

"Alright smartypants," Erol chuckled. "What was the final line of the Angel tv series?"

I laughed loudly. " 'Well, personally, I kinda want to slay the dragon. Let's go to work.' C'mon Erol, gimme a hard one!" Lately we'd developed a game out of testing one another on Joss Whedon things. You know, Doll House, Buffy, Angel and, the underappreciated, Firefly.

As we passed in front of "Fred's" I heard a rustling in some nearby bushes. Despite my natural self preservation instincts, I got closer to see what it was. Suddenly, a man pulled both Erol and myself into the bushes. Both of us moved to attack but the man quickly put his hands over each of our mouths. "What are you, idiots? Didn't you notice the dozens of Baggers around here?"

Well…we did then.


	16. The Stranger in the Bush

**_*Okay, so it's been...a while since I last updated so most of you have probably moved on but here we go. It's not very long but it's an update. I actually have been really busy trying to get my book published so I think that that is a valid excuse. In fact, I've been told that I should "advertise" my blog. I'm supposed to be attempting to attract the attention of agents. If you're interested in my writing go to my blogspot, username poeticpossum. Until I'm published I will stick to this awesome story. Hopefully I'll update more and the story will get better. I'm kind of hoping to, eventually, finish this one and maybe start another along the same lines. Thanks for reading.*_**

The moon was almost full that night so the man in the bush was as brightly lit as if he was on a stage with a spotlight shining on him. His grey eyes flicked between Erol and me in disbelief. I didn't usually feel like an idiot around people I didn't even know. Really, what did I care what they thought? But, for some reason, this guy made me feel like the biggest moron on Earth. "What makes you think we care?" Erol growled, thinking more clearly than me. "We don't have to worry about getting Bagged."

The man raised an eyebrow and eyed Erol's forehead. Only then did I realize that he'd begun to sweat and the makeup covering his Mark had been smudged. I sighed and rolled my eyes, pulling concealer from my pant pocket. Daydream had insisted I take it and, while I thought she was just being crazy, I obeyed. I reminded myself never to doubt a Prophetess again, no matter how weird her request might be. I wrenched Erol's face toward mine and fixed his Mark. "Thanks," I whispered to the bush man. "You're hiding too right? Not just helping random folks out?" He nodded. His face was stiff with determination but the fear in his eyes could not be hidden. "Need a hideout?"

"Mari," Erol whined. I tightened my grip on his face. I had made up my mind. If Daydream had warned me about something that ended up relating to us meeting this guy then we were supposed to meet him. My normal caution be damned, I wasn't going to leave the poor guy hanging. The man in the bush nodded.

"Alright," I whispered, dropping Erol's face, "then you should come to ours." I messed my hair up and motioned for the two confused looking men to follow me. I waited for just the right second then burst out of the bushes and into a Bagger. His shiny badge stared me right in the face. "Oops," I giggled, falling into my best southern drawl. "Sorry 'bout that, sir."

Erol and the other man stood behind me looking nervous as the Bagger eyed the three of us. "Young lady," the Bagger whispered. "What were you doing in those bushes with _**two**_ men?"

I giggled again. "That's between God and me." The Bagger gave me a stern fatherly glare. I figured he probably had at least one little girl. "Hey, let he among us without sin be the first to condemn." With that I gave the disappointed Bagger a wave and grabbed the two men, flirtatiously pulling them down the street.

"That was unbelievably dangerous," Erol managed to whisper when we were away from the huge clump of Baggers and nearing the mini Eiffel Tower.

"I agree," the new guy croaked, nervously. I just rolled my eyes. We could have stayed hidden there forever and waited to be caught or we could have tried to make a break for it. I will always choose to fight rather than cower. Besides, they didn't realize that I could have made an excellent con artist.

"Look, we're fine," I sighed, glancing around for Baggers before opening the hatch and showing our new friend the way in.

He peered into the tunnel and nodded in approval. "This is seriously well hidden. I take it you don't worry about people stumbling upon your hide out."

Erol smiled at me. "It's only happened once and that turned out well." The man smiled and began to enter the tunnel only to be stopped by Erol. "Hold up. Everyone else in here has a _name_. So, give me yours or get out."

The man eyed Erol nervously. I couldn't blame him. Erol suddenly had a commanding sound to his voice that made him a bit scary. "David," the man sighed. "David Norton," he added, should Erol require his full name. Erol nodded and headed into the tunnel, expecting David and me to follow. "So, what are your names?" David asked, as we began our trek through the tunnels.

"I'm Erol and that's Mari," Erol said quickly, cutting off my friendly introduction. I was so confused. I knew a kind Erol, not this. Of course, then I remembered the first time I met Erol and realized that David was pretty lucky I was there.

"Erol, huh?" David asked awkwardly. "That's pretty unusual. Did you take it as your vampyre name?"

Erol chuckled. "Nope, that's my name. My father's family is Turkish. It means strong and courageous. My grandmother thought it was suitable. That, and she was a HUGE Errol Flynn fan."

When we introduced David to the rest of the vamps they were about as receptive as Erol. I told them about Daydream's advice and that seemed to appease them a little. Much to my surprise, Liam was the worst. He practically snarled when David walked in the room. This was something I might expect from Jason but not cool collected Liam. Jason didn't entirely trust humans because he couldn't see their energy. Liam had no excuse. He finally agreed to let David stay, bowing and saying "Whatever my goddess commands," leaving me to deal with David's stares.

Desmond took me aside with a look in his eyes that told me he was in leader mode. "Mari, are we certain he's safe?"

"Not at all," I sighed with a shrug. "But we do know that he saved our asses out there. Des, Erol and I owe him."

Desmond sighed and massaged his temples, a habit when he was trying to keep in his frustration. He did it a lot when talking to Erol. "Alright, but you don't mind me keeping an eye on him then? Because I want to keep this group safe."

"I understand."

He pursed his lips. "Do you find it strange that the minute three of our most powerful vampyres leave this guy shows up?"

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn't thought of it that way. "I guess so," I replied slowly.

"I'm sure he's fine," Desmond said, resolutely. "I'm just overly cautious."

I smiled. "That's why you're the Son of Erebus."

"Show him to his room?"

I did as I was told although I now felt strange showing him all by myself. What if he was dangerous? I finally resolved that it was kind of my own fault. _Have confidence in your decisions,_ a reassuring voice told me.

"Why did Liam call you a goddess?" David asked suspiciously. He seemed to have a lot of questions.

"It's a long story," I sighed, watching him stifle a yawn. "You tired?"

David cocked an eyebrow. "It's one am. You're not tired?"

I shook my head slowly. "No…I keep vamp time, like most who run from the Baggers." David _hmm_ed and turned away from me, inspecting the curtains at the opening of his room. "So, why are you marked to be Bagged?"

He remained facing the curtains. "Oh, I was caught harboring several wanted vamps," he replied casually.

"How long were you—"

"I actually don't want to talk about it." He turned to me, his lips pinched together. "I just don't think I can talk openly about it yet."

I nodded and left him to sleep. In the tunnel outside of his room I leaned against the wall and tried to gather my thoughts. Why had I let Jordan leave? I needed him. If not personally then I needed his ability to read intentions. Was Daydream's vision a warning against this guy or a heads up that he'd need our help? Why hadn't I thought about these things before? Who had I brought into our safe haven?

"Nyx," I whispered, "please let me have made the right decision. _Please_."


	17. Protector

**_*Really short but I was feeling it. Kind of tense after Sons of Anarchy.*_**

"When are they supposed to get back?" I asked Erol, playing with his "action figure" while he changed from his pajamas.

"Ten days from yesterday." He zipped up his jeans and looked over at me. "Hah, on Halloween. I wonder if it was planned that way."

I shrugged and tried to quell my fears. We had survived the day. David hadn't murdered us in our sleep or anything. Still, I really wanted Jordan home, even though I wasn't sure if I was his girlfriend or not. I wanted to feel safe. I wanted Daydream home so she could, in her own cryptic way, tell me what to expect. I wanted Jason home, much to my surprise. What can I say? He was pretty irritating and, though we could get along well enough, didn't like me but I felt like he could save us from a meteor if he had to.

Erol took his precious action figure from my hand, inspected it for injuries and put it back on its shelf. "I thought you were sure that this guy was alright," Erol sighed, "discreetly" showing off his "abs". He was adorable but muscles had he none.

"I know but…I don't know. Desmond brought up the coincidence of—"

"Oh," Erol scoffed, "when Desmond voices a concern you listen. But if I start talking you just squeeze my face."

I raised a brow. "I squeeze your face? Did that sound as emasculating in your head as it did out loud?" Erol sighed and locked eyes with me. After a little while of hanging out with the guy I could recognize this as his "Mari, I'm being serious" face. "Look, you didn't trust _me_ when I first got here. It wasn't until you saw me feed Rosto that you let your guard down at all really."

Erol shrugged. "I saw that you were selfless. I saw that you actually cared, you weren't just a wannabe vamp lover." I laughed at his ridiculous phrase and he grinned at me, sitting next to me on his bed. "Look, I'm no psychic but I can keep you safe. Desmond too, I guess." He scoffed sarcastically as if Desmond was nothing special.

I smiled. "I know. Besides, I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about endangering you guys."

I had been so careful for so long. In other hideouts people had to pass some serious tests before I'd even CONCIDER trusting them. What had happened to that me? I'd become lax. I'd felt so safe in the tunnels that I'd forgotten that people could be treacherous. I knew better, yet I risked the people who'd taken me in and given me this sanctuary. How could I do that to them?

"Besides," I sniffed, trying to control my emotions, "I wasn't _selfless_. I knew that I was unimprintable."

Erol chuckled. "True, but he could have easily sucked you dry. That makes you selfless." He touched my cheek. "And you truly are."

"Unimprintable?" David asked from the doorway. "Is that even possible? I thought that the minute a vampyre bit a human they were imprinted."

I furrowed my brow and stared at the man. _He'd_ spent time with vamps? "No, it isn't quite like that…"

Erol sighed irritably and glared over his shoulder at David. "Isn't it a little late for a human to be up?"

David raised a brow. "It's seven. Not exactly late. And I'm trying to get used to your hours." He smiled at me. "After all, Mari says it's what everyone does when they're on the run from the law."

Erol stood, what little muscle he had tensed. "Not the law. We appreciate the law. We're hiding from Baggers. Genocidal maniacs." Erol thrust a hand at me, not letting his gaze leave David. Instinctually, I handed Erol the closest shirt I could find. I wasn't used to him being like this. He threw it on and grabbed my hand. We left the room and as we headed out of earshot Erol whispered to me "I don't want you alone with him ever. Until he's gone, think of me as your protector."


	18. David

**_*Again, short. But it's what needed to be written. Dedicated to TheAngel'sWings. Bet you thought I'd forget this.*_**

"I don't trust him," Erol growled, pacing back and forth in Desmond's room.

Desmond watched Erol with a calm look on his face. "Well there's nothing we can do for now. I mean, he hasn't _done_ anything." Desmond wasn't really putting his whole heart into this discussion. When Erol had stormed in, with me in tow, Desmond was sniffing one of Daydream's sweaters, looking lost and forlorn. He was not taking being apart very well.

Erol stopped and glared at Desmond. "Well, he was eavesdropping on my conversation with Mari."

"Which is rude, I'll admit," Desmond sighed, cracking a smile, "but not unheard of. You do it all the time. I can't even count how many times I've caught you trying to listen in on Mari and Jordan's arguments."

My jaw dropped and I turned to Erol. His pale face flushed. "That's not the—"

"Look, Mari and I discussed this. We're going to keep an eye on him. Just because he gives you the creeps is not a good enough reason to expel him from a safe house," Desmond said, in a final way. When he got this way we knew it was time to leave.

We walked to the common area in complete silence, Erol seething and me thinking. When we arrived in the common area we saw David reading a book on the couch as everyone watched him from the kitchen, whispering. I glared at them and shook my head, making my way over to our newest resident.

He looked up at me and smiled. "Mari, good book!" I looked at the book in his hands and realized it was one of mine. "I was asking the vamps about you and they gave me this book. It's intriguing."

"Thanks," I sighed, suddenly nervous. Why was he asking about me? I began playing with the coin around my neck.

"Neat coin," David said, cheerfully.

I nodded, glancing down at the coin and remembering Daydream's vision. "It's an old English coin. It has Athena on it. She's the goddess of wisdom, art, the moon—"

"No," David chuckled. I stared at him. "I mean, yes that is Athena but she isn't the goddess of the moon. That's Artemis. Virgin goddess of the moon, the hunt, animals, etc."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Virgin goddess?"

David smiled. "Not for lack of trying. She had a love, Orion, but her brother tricked her into killing him. So she put him up in the stars. You know, the constellation." I stared. Of all the stories to tell me about Artemis, why that one? After all, in Daydream's vision I was a girl made of stars. Then came the humiliation. I'd been boasting about my moon goddess necklace. Boy did I feel stupid. "Arianrhod," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"Celtic moon goddess as well as weaver of time and fate. Isis was the Egyptian moon goddess, and pretty important to the Egyptians. Mama Quilla was the Incan moon goddess who protected married women and, during eclipses, the Incans would make loud noise to scare the jaguar away from their beloved goddess."

"What are you doing?" I asked, staring at the human encyclopedia who sat before me.

"You looked upset, like you'd lost something. I thought I could suggest more moon goddesses," he smiled nervously at me. "Hecate. She was a Greek goddess, pre-Olympian. She even helped Zeus defeat the Titans. She became associated with wild things and child birth, things men feared. So then, at the dawning of monotheism, she became associated with witches and evil. But she never was evil. Just mysterious."

I smiled and almost felt like crying. This fit. She sounded like Nyx. "Thank you," I sighed. David was a curious thing. He was on the run from Baggers, knew little of vampyres and had a weird knowledge of moon goddesses. Who _did_ I bring into our home? Who was David?


	19. Trust

I spent the rest of the evening with David, while the vamps and the fledgling whispered and stared at him. I would have felt bad for the guy if he had made any attempts to let us get to know him. But he didn't. On his behalf, he certainly asked a lot of questions about the vamps in our tunnels, the tunnels themselves and our collective history. Every time I wondered if I should be divulging certain things, I heard that voice inside urging me to continue. I felt like the more I trusted him the more he'd trust me. But when he collapsed at one in the morning I still knew _nothing_ about him.

_He's new. If you were him would you share a ton of details with people you didn't know?_ I rationalized as I walked through the halls. I didn't know how I felt about the guy. Was he going to be an asset or a liability?

"Dear Mari," Liam called as I turned into the same tunnel he was walking through. "How are you this evening?" I told him I was fine and that I had just left David to sleep. "Ah, yes, the newest member of our little family," he replied in his saccharine tone that made my skin crawl. "You do trust him, yes?"

I examined my nails to refrain from making eye contact. "I don't distrust him." I glanced up and Liam's cool eyes seemed to examine my statement.

"Well," he sighed, casually, "that's good enough for me. I truly value your instincts." He gave me a meaningful look and I did my best not to roll my eyes. Who was this display for? I didn't believe in the things he preached about me and I was very open about it. Unfortunately, the only other people to speak out were Jordan and Jason. Daydream didn't approve but she didn't disapprove either. Everyone else, despite their claims in private, sided with Liam on the Mari-is-a-goddess subject. It _killed_ me.

"Desmond and Erol are keeping their eyes on him, just in case," I continued, pretending not to notice Liam's stare.

Liam nodded approvingly then he looked into my eyes with a sudden seriousness. "I'd also appreciate it if you stayed with another person while we feel out our newcomer." I couldn't hide the confusion on my face. "Should he suddenly turn violent you would be the most vulnerable. Stay with another vampyre for protection. I will be asking our fledgling to do the same," he explained, putting his hand up defensively before I could question him.

Despite my distrust of Liam, he was the vamp in charge. The highest authority. Sure, Desmond was the military genius and Daydream was the most powerful but Liam's word was law. As Erol had said, we appreciated the law down here. "Alright, I'll stay with Erol. Where is he?"

Liam took my arm and began ushering me toward the common area. "Oh, he went to the surface for some supplies. Said he needed to get out. So tell me," he began, looking like a vicious gossip, "have you heard from that voice of yours lately?"

Now I regretted telling Daydream about the instinctual voice I often heard. I had told her in the common area only to find that Liam was lurking out in the connecting tunnel. "No, not lately," I lied, with a smile. The same voice had told me that it was prudent to protect myself against Liam. I, for some reason, didn't question it.

As we made it into the common area, I saw that Rosto and Kimmy were waiting for me. I was immediately bombarded by their question about David. Who was he? How old was he? Where was he from? What had he done to get on the Baggers' list? What was he doing in Tennessee? Unfortunately, I couldn't answer any of these questions. I had spent about five hours with the guy and knew nothing. The disappointment on the faces of our two youngest occupants made me feel like a bigger failure than I had before.

"I have an idea," I growled, flustered when they began lecturing me about getting to know the guy. "Tomorrow, _**you c**_an talk to him and ask him about himself rather than stare at him from afar." Rosto turned pink and looked down.

Kimmy, however, raised a defiant brow. "You _**are**_ the one who brought him here. Why should we risk our lives?" She said this overdramatically, clearly trying to be funny. But I wasn't amused. I looked down at my feet, feeling terrible. "I was kidding," Kimmy said quickly. "It was a joke Mari."

I felt something drape over my shoulder and looked to see Rosto smiling at me. "You'd never endanger us. We trust you." He meant it to be nice but instead I felt this horrible lump in my stomach.

I opened my mouth to reply but Desmond came rushing through. He had a troubled look on his face. When asked what was wrong he replied, "Something is not right," then burst through the main door and broke into a blurry run.

My mind raced while the other three began whispering prayers to Nyx. Had someone found our hideout? Were Jordan, Jason and Daydream coming back early with bad news? Were some of them not coming back at all? Then I felt my heart almost stop when I remembered that Erol was out there. I tried to breathe and relieve myself of the sickening dizziness which threatened to overpower me. I knew what had happened. I couldn't explain how, but I knew. So rather than fret, I prepared. "Kimmy, sweetheart, go get some bandages and packs of blood. And a blanket, he's going to sleep on the couch tonight. I don't want him moving." Everyone stared at me for a moment. My eyes must have given way to what I knew inside because Kimmy rushed to do as I ordered without question.

"What should I do Mari?" Rosto asked, trying not to look frightened. He had the same issue as I did. When scared he needed to feel he was doing something.

"Go wait at the entrance for Desmond, in case he needs help." Rosto began to go but my voice stopped him. "If you see _**any**_ trouble or any sign of people who aren't of our group you run back here immediately. Don't be a hero. I want you alive." The boy nodded, dutifully, and took off. Liam stared at me, genuine wonder in his eyes. "Don't start," I whispered. "I can't handle your crazy ideas right now."

Much to my surprise, he listened and stood calmly waiting. Suddenly, David appeared in the hall to the rooms. "What's wrong?" he asked, trying not to sound groggy. "I heard that girl shrieking about blood and band aids. And 'where do we keep the damn blankets'. What's going on?"

In answer to his question, Desmond and Rosto carried a bloodied Erol into the common area. I directed them to the couch and turned to see Kimmy frozen in the hall. "We don't have any more blood. Jordan was supposed to get more…" Kimmy hated seeing injuries.

"I was going to give him some of mine for the healing, I'll just have to give him more than I was going to. Thank you Kimmy. Why don't you go get some wash clothes wet so we can clean him up? Take your time." She nodded appreciatively and went running. She couldn't be there anymore.

Everyone began talking about what needed to be done. I wasn't listening to or answering them. I tossed the bandages and blankets at Rosto and Desmond, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and went to Erol's side. I looked his body over and saw the cause of the blood. A wooden stake in the middle of his chest. Someone had read too many old novels and seen too many vampire movies. I examined where the stake had landed. Too low for his heart and angled down so it didn't hit his lungs. I didn't know much about anatomy but I knew this much. I looked into Erol's eyes. "This is gonna suck," I warned him. He grimaced and put a pillow over his face, prepared to muffle his own screams. I placed one hand on his chest and the other on the stake in his chest. I took a deep breath and pulled. Even the pillow couldn't muffle the cries of pain coming from the vampyre. I tossed the stake on the floor and moved over so Desmond could put pressure on the wound.

Quickly, I dragged the knife over my wrist and put it to Erol's mouth before the blood could drip to the ground or on the couch. Without a second thought he latched on. As he drank I bit my cheeks, trying to ignore the natural pleasure that comes from feeding a vampyre. Although, it was difficult this time around. He drank with such longing and desperation. I wondered how much pain he'd been in and how close to death he must have felt.

Desmond lifted his hands and showed that Erol's wound was a pink star-like scar. Fearing he might have to fight for my arm, Desmond reached up and put pressure on Erol's jaw causing him to release me. I grabbed a bandage from Desmond's hand and dressed my wrist. "What happened?" Desmond asked Erol.

"You didn't see?" I asked, weakly.

"He was almost here when I found him. He kept going strong."

"I was fixing the makeup over my mark," Erol explained, sounding better than I expected. "Some farmer from out of town saw me and…well he tried to stake me. I threw him a good ways but I didn't hurt him. He's probably telling the Baggers to look out for me." I nodded and stood, although it was tough to stay on my feet after all the blood loss. "Mari, what are you doing?" I struggled not to laugh. He almost died and now he was looking deeply concerned for me.

"First I'm going to find a pay phone and call my cousin up in Cairo, Kentucky and tell her to call the Peeper hotline to alert them to a vamp sighting of a guy matching your description in the morning. Then I'm going to buy some hair dye and more makeup, we're all undergoing a serious makeover and hair is one of the most easily identified physical traits. After that, I'm stocking up on blood." I glanced around and saw only confident expressions looking at me. Even Kimmy had returned and smiled at me from the hall. I frowned at her. "Sorry I'm going to have to ruin your beautiful hair." She shook her head as if she didn't care about the thick red ponytail on her head.

Desmond sighed. "Take someone with you."

David stepped forward. "I'll go." His mouth had formed a tight, thin line and his brows were furrowed. His eyes looked sad. I nodded in approval, grabbed a few things and we were off.

The air was crisp and cool. My favorite time of year. I might have enjoyed it if I wasn't still terrified. But I had to keep a confident air about me. David seemed deep in thought and I figured this would be a silent walk but suddenly, words burst forth from his mouth.

"My twin brother was Marked when we were fifteen and immediately sent to a House of Night in upstate New York. We lived in Syracuse, New York so that was the closest House of Night that wasn't in Canada. I last saw him six years ago, on our seventeenth birthday. When the Baggers formed and discovered records of my brother, they discovered he had an identical twin."

"They wanted to test on you guys," I sighed, realizing what he'd gone through.

He nodded. "How could they resist?"

I stared at the man beside me. His jaw muscles were taut and his chin was proudly pushed forward. "Why did you tell me that you were harboring vamps?"

He glanced over at me. "You are a big vamp supporter and everyone else are vampyres with a purpose and connection to Nyx. I'm a coward. Wanted only for my genetics."

I shook my head. "That does not make you a coward."

"You have no idea how big a coward I am," he sighed, not looking at me.

"Why are you telling me now?"

He met my gaze and smiled. "You deserve to know and…I feel I should be able to trust you now."

I felt my body relax as I realized that I hadn't made a mistake bringing David into the tunnels. At least, as far as I could tell.


	20. Erol

_***This chapter is a little sketchy. Warning.***_

I played with my new strawberry blonde hair. I'd had to cut it fairly short too. Not as short as Kimmy's though. After dying her hair black she had me give her a bob. She figured that she might as well go all out as long as we were changing things. David's auburn hair was dyed a shade lighter than Kimmy's, Rosto's brown mop of hair was now a dirty blonde short cut and Erol was surprisingly stunning with dark brown hair. Even Liam dyed and cut his long dark hair. I was quite surprised to find that his hair curled when short, it made his platinum blond hair cherub like. Desmond, however, simply shaved his head claiming that not only would he never dye his hair but it was impossible.

"Hey blondie," Erol chuckled with a mischievous smile. He plopped down next to me on the cot we had moved into his room so I could be "safe" from David. Liam insisted. "Is it true then? Do blondes have more fun?"

I stared at him, my new bangs blocking my vision a little. "You're naturally blonde. Why are you asking me?"

He shrugged and chuckled. "It's usually only unnatural blondes who say it." I sighed and shook my head. I was now regretting the fact that we let him off of bed rest. Despite my healing blood, Desmond and I demanded that Erol stay put to ensure the healing. He'd managed to do it for three days, and even that was difficult for him to endure. Erol nudged me. "What's wrong? Why so serious?"

I shook my head. I'd been on the somber side since everything happened with Erol. I realized I'd grown incredibly lax and needed to get with it. We weren't going to win this thing by sitting around and waiting to get Bagged. We needed to fight. I had resolved to force everyone to train as soon as the other three returned. We needed to go from fugitives to an army, and we needed to do it as soon as possible. People and vamps were getting Bagged every day and it needed to stop.

"I'm just tired of you guys getting endangered," I sighed finally.

Erol smiled. "But you saved me, and Rosto."

"I'd rather not have to."

Erol glanced at me, seeming almost hurt. "You don't want us to feed off you?"

"That's not it," I chuckled, turning to him. He acted like a sad puppy sometimes. "I would just rather you guys weren't almost dying all the time." I dragged my fingers through my hair, pulled it all back, like I was going to put it in a ponytail, and held my hair up with my hands. This was a nervous habit I had developed when I was in high school. I could joke about the current circumstances and my fears with Erol but everyone trying to die and going off for a long time wore on my nerves. I felt twenty years older.

Erol reached out and traced one of the scars on my neck. "How'd you get this one?" he asked, trying to distract me.

Sadly, I knew exactly which one he was looking at. "This chick jumped me from behind. She dragged me down and took a bite. She nearly sucked me dry."

He dragged his finger to another one close to my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "And this one?" I remembered Colin biting me. He wasn't dying or hurt or desperate for blood. He'd only wanted to feel closer to me than he already did, which at that moment was very close. Between the memory and Erol's gentle touch another shiver went through my body. I let my hair drop to cover my neck, hoping that would be the end of it, but Erol's fingers remained on my neck. I met his gaze and felt my pulse race. Evidently, he could feel my pulse under his fingers because his eyes swept over to my neck. He stared into my eyes one more time, assessing something or other, and sighed. "The hell with it."

He quickly moved in, planting his lips on mine. For a second I was still, unsure of what was happening, but only for that second. The next thing I knew I was kissing him. His vampyre mojo was working overtime and all I could think of or see was him. Everything happened so quickly. We were kissing and I was grasping at him desperately then, I could sense his longing. I stopped kissing him and tilted my head to the side. When a human is with a vampyre it doesn't matter how strong their willpower is. The vampyre will get their way, without knowing how much control they have over their partner.

Soon, Erol sank his teeth into my neck. The sudden pain caused me to gasp but it was immediately replaced with waves of pleasure. He lifted me onto his lap so he wouldn't have to bend over to reach my neck. The sudden movement caused his teeth to tear at my skin but at that moment I didn't care. I rocked my hips, moaning as he continued to drink. Then a sudden rain of realizations pelted me. He'd wanted me, my blood, since the moment he'd smelled it. I remembered his look when he'd entered the common area and seen me feeding Rosto. I remembered the longing and desperation I had sensed from him when he'd drunk my blood.

I returned to reality in time to find him kissing my shoulder as he unbuckled his belt. Quickly I put a hand to his chest to stop him. He sat back to get a better look at me. "What's wrong?" His face was flushed from all the excitement.

"I…I can't. Erol I'm sorry," I stammered, suddenly wondering when he'd taken my shirt off.

I eased myself away from him, located my shirt and put it on. I sat on the other end of the bed, as far from him as I could get. His eyes never left me. He didn't look hurt or angry like I had expected. He was simply observing me. I had to admit, his eyes were piercing. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from thinking of him that way.

"Why do you put up with it?" he asked finally. Before I could respond he continued. "I know you're sleeping with Jordan." I began an outraged response but it quickly died. "I've heard you arguing." I looked down at my lap, more than a little ashamed. He grabbed my hand and I looked up to find his eyes tearing into me. "I would never want to hide you or keep you secret. You don't deserve that. Here," he stood and moved over to his dresser, pulling out something wrapped in a white kerchief. "I want you to have this. Before you freak out, I had Rosto help me and I didn't risk my life. I just had to mention that it was for you and he was eager to help." He handed it to me, but gave me no time to see what it was. He grabbed my face and kissed me gently. "Think about what I said Mari."

With that he disappeared into the tunnels. I shook my head, thoroughly confused by these sudden happenings. Then I remembered the small, frail object in my hands. I carefully unfolded the handkerchief to reveal a dark red rose. The color was beautiful and I'd never seen another one like it. It was so dark that it was almost black and reminded me of crushed velvet. He must have had Rosto use his earth affinity to grow it just for me. It was sweet. And the thing he'd said about Jordan, though it hurt, might have been true and his concern was…sweet as well.

Then, the nagging voice of reality called to me as I remembered Daydream's vision. "_She removed the third bag to see a man whose lust for her and her blood manifested itself into a dark red rose_"

Crap.

_***Okay, no more of that. I refuse to write smut like the other stuff all over this site.***_


	21. Taken

The next evening, Erol was able to act like everything was normal. He picked on me, joked with me and even got mad at me exactly as he had since the day I met him. To everyone else it was just another day. But when our eyes met all I could hear was his promise to me and all I could feel was the heat that had been between us. The question was, did this negate my feelings for Jordan? I honestly didn't know and I felt guilty even thinking about it. After all, Jordan begged me to ask him to stay. Not only did he leave because I made him but he left to take care of those in need. I felt like a horrible bitch even THINKING about Erol. So I decided not to. This proved to be easier said than done.

"Mari?" Desmond snapped. "Did you hear me?" I shook my head. I wasn't going to lie, I wasn't paying attention at all. This was no time for bluffing and hoping I understood. We were preparing for battle. "What kind of weapons should we gather?"

I sighed. "Whatever you can get. Anything from guns to hand to hand weapons. Although, I strongly emphasize the hand to hand weapons. Guns can easily be tracked and attract attention. Attention is the last thing we need." Despite Desmond's training as a Son of Erebus he seemed to defer to me in all matters involving warfare. Much to my chagrin, I was the only one who had actually been in battle.

Yay me.

It was my idea to fight the Baggers and bring down the whole operation, still I was reluctant. If nothing else, I didn't want to be in charge. Imagine it for yourself. Taking on a large army with only a few untrained fighters at your disposal. The chances are not only grim they are unthinkable. Now put yourself in the highest ranking position. You are in charge. The lives and deaths of these people rest squarely in your hands. How psyched would you be to take this on? Yeah, that's what I thought.

I thought this was the most scared I'd feel, but later I'd realize that…

Wait. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Halloween was a few days away. It was not only a particularly spiritual day, in many religions the day when the veil between realms was at its thinnest, but also the day when my most psychically inclined warriors came home. I hoped I would feel more sure of myself with them at my side. If I couldn't feel stronger, more confident, there wasn't a snowball's chance in Houston we were going to make it. Focus was key to building our army and it was the one thing I was short of. Isn't it just like lady luck to bring personal problems to the surface just as nationwide problems are underway?

"Mari, you need to get your head together," Desmond sighed. He didn't sound angry, like I would have been in his position, he just sounded disappointed in me. His disappointment cut deeper than any knife.

I stuck my fingers in my hair and pulled it back. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

He closed his books on ancient battles. He seemed to draw most of his knowledge from the Romans. He was going over training and battle strategies with me. "What's wrong? Fighting was kind of your idea."

"It was, and I stand by it," I sighed. "It's just…things feel off right now." It was true. Jordan, Jason and Daydream run off to answer some distress call, David appears from thin air, someone manages to get the best of Erol in a fight not to mention the fact that Liam wasn't so talkative lately and I often caught him just sitting and watching all of us. These things individually meant nothing but all at the same time these things meant something was wrong. If not wrong then something was getting ready to go down.

"You just feel out of it without Daydream don't you?" Desmond said with a grin. "I mean, you constantly sought her opinion and advice. You spend as much time with her as I do." I smiled at the poor shmuck who was so lost without his girlfriend. I was always amazed at how such a powerful and strong willed vamp was so helpless when his love was away. But he wasn't wrong. I did rely an awful lot on Daydream and her cryptic wisdom.

Desmond excused himself to double check the arsenal they already had and see what we still needed. Feeling lonely I roamed the tunnels. I thought about Erol and Jordan but mostly about Daydream. I began sifting through every prophetess type thing she'd said to me, looking for something relevant. I knew I wouldn't find anything but it made me feel like I was being productive.

I turned into the tunnel that led to the showers, hoping warm water would soothe my troubled mind. The tunnel seemed empty until I saw the rustle of blonde hair. "Liam?" I called into the dark.

There was a chuckle. "Yes, lovely Mari. It is I." There was a strange air to his voice.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt your solitude?" I chuckled, trying desperately to hide my nerves and quell the voice inside me shouting _GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE YOU IDIOT!_

"Not at all my dear," he sighed in that silky smooth tone of his. "In fact I was just thinking about you. Pondering something really." I couldn't tell you how it happened. I couldn't track his movement, he was like a blur. He looked like a high speed pin ball, bouncing off of a wall to pounce on me. He was incredibly fast and incredibly strong. He pressed down on my collar bone, pinning me to the stone floor, with one hand. With the other hand he dragged his nail across my wrist. I winced as his nail actually cut into my wrist, drawing blood. "I wanted to know how much power your blood really holds."

As he began to drink my blood, a strange sensation filled every part of my body. It wasn't the natural pleasure and it wasn't the understandable pain.

It was wrong. My blood was being violated. My energy was being stolen from me. I tried to cry out but it came out as a strange sounding moan.

No one could help me.

No one was going to try.


	22. Bridge this Gap

I sat straight up in bed. What did I remember?

Okay, Liam drank my blood and then…nothing. Darkness. I glanced down at my wrist. Nothing. No blood, no scab and no scar. Still, I knew I hadn't dreamt it. There was absolutely no way. I looked around my room, a little too quickly I guess because my head began pounding. With a groan I sank back down in my bed and rested my head on my pillow. It was worse than the worst hangover I had ever had. I looked to the side of my bed and saw a glass of water. Apparently parched, I thanked whatever deity was nearest and chugged it

"Thank God," I heard a voice, far too loud for the size of my headache, sigh from the doorway. David came in looking seriously worried.

"What?" I croaked.

David stood at the end of my bed and eyed me nervously. "You've been out for," he paused to count, "forty-two hours."

For a minute, I forgot how many hours there were in a day. When the number of hours finally hit me it felt like a dozen Quasimodos were ringing the bells in my head all at once. "Almost two days? That's impossible."

David continued to stare, though he seemed less concerned now that I was speaking. He didn't look relieved, mind you. Just less concerned. "And yet, here you are. Liam said you fainted in a tunnel and when he found you he said you had become delirious. You were going on and on about your blood. He's been very protective of you over the last couple of days."

I thought back. Maybe him drinking my blood had been some weird dream or hallucination. NO! I knew when my blood had been taken and it had been. Judging by the headache and how long I'd been out, I figured he must have drugged me after drinking my blood. So he wanted me asleep for a while. He was buying time. Time until what? This was the question. What did he say before I blacked out? Something about the power of my blood. Something extremely vague. What did he want with my blood? Whatever it was, the time for it was coming soon. He didn't want me messing up his plans.

Suddenly I realized that poor David was still staring at me. "David, something is happening."

David tilted his head sideways and took a couple of breaths before responding. "What is happening?"

"I don't know. But when it goes down, you need to get out of here." I shook my head, feeling overwhelmed. "They'll all take you out otherwise."

"Take me out?" Dacid chuckled. "Mari, those vamps love you. In fact, I'm fairly certain Rosto is completely in love with you. Whatever is coming, these vampyres worship you."

"Exactly," I cried, trying to control my ragged breathing. "Look, Liam has some kind of control over them."

David's eyebrows shot upward. "Over vampyres?"

"Not all vampyres," I sighed, ready to reprimand him for his assumption. Then I really thought about it. "Not Jordan or Daydream or Jason…"

David finally sat at the end of my bed. "Why not?"

A wave of realization came over me. "They are psychic. The psychic vamps and the humans are the only ones not influenced by Liam." It was a safe leap in logic but I had to be sure. I threw back my covers and got out of bed.

"What are you doing?" David demanded, standing up before he could actually get comfortable on my bed.

I smiled at him, not because I was happy or excited but because, for once, something was clear to me. "I'm going to search Liam's room. You should get out of here. The closer you are to the main door the better."

He shook his head. "I'll go with you."

"You will not," I laughed.

His grey eyes bore into me, stubborn through and through. "It's my life, I'll do what I please. What pleases me is making sure you're alright."

I stopped rummaging through my clothes and turned to him. "Why? If I'm right, Liam could order the vamps to kill you. Why is this worth it?"

David moved his jaw from side to side, debating what answer he would give me. "You're a good person Mari. You're going to try and protect the vampyres, aren't you?" I nodded. He was right. I wouldn't abandon the people who had taken me in just because another vamp might have influence over them. I was going to help them. "That's why you're worth it."

"Because I am a vamp sympathizer?"

David stuck his chin out, proudly. "Because you're loyal, unselfish and a force of good. People have been telling me that you might be an instrument of Nyx. Until I have proof, I don't know if I believe that. But if you are, I suspect that you are meant to bridge this gap." He motioned at the air as if the gap was between the two of us. "Between vamps and the rest of the public." He laughed suddenly at his long winded speech. "In other words, wild horses could not stop me from helping you. Now get dressed. We have some snooping to do."

I quickly dressed, trying not to tear up as I thought of David's words. Without another word we snuck over to Liam's room. I motioned for David to remain outside, to keep watch, while I went inside. His room was exactly as I expected. Well, alright I did expect a coffin instead of a bed. He was old school vampyre creepy. The candles and red fabric throughout his room only supported my feelings.

Somehow I knew where to go. Straight to the bookshelf. I glanced at the books and noticed one book stuck out further than the others. The book was just Stephenie Meyer's _Eclipse_, not too weird although I couldn't understand why a real vamp would read vamp fiction. I removed the book, assuming some page would be marked with incriminating evidence. Instead I saw another book behind it. It was a book on the occult filled with dog-eared pages. Something in here must help me.

_Blood Magick. Blood Ceremonies. The Potency of Blood._

He wanted my blood. But why? What power could he possibly gain? I knew that it healed but was that a power to steal? Not really.

I felt a sharp pain near the base of my neck and, for the second time in the last few days, I blacked out. This time, however, I not only knew what was happening but also what I was going to do about it.


	23. Alone with Nyx

_I wasn't awake. I could tell because I found myself at a beach near where I grew up. It was a beautiful place that was always full when the weather was nice but it was deserted when it rained. That's when I would go. I'd stand on the rocks, which was probably unwise considering how slick they were, and I would feel the rain on my cheeks and hear the waves crashing against the rocks and the cliffs. _

_As I now stood on the rocks, it was just that way. I could even smell the ocean. I looked to my right and discovered why this dream was so vivid. A beautiful woman stood on the rocks not too far from me. Her skin was flawless and olive and her long, dark and straight hair whipped against her shoulders in the harsh wind. I knew exactly who she was. I slowly walked toward her, not because I wanted to go over there but rather because I was pulled over to her. Like a magnet. _

"_Hello Mari," she said, in a dulcet tone, as she looked out at the raging sea. Her calm expression did not match the ocean's temper._

_I stopped and stared at her. "Did I die?"_

_Nyx gave me a quizzical stare. "Is this how you picture heaven?"_

_I looked out at the sea and sighed. "Yes."_

"_No," she chuckled, "you aren't dead. Merely unconscious."_

_The memories of the moments before I was knocked out came flooding back to me. "Liam," I cried. "He wants my blood. He said something about…its power. I have to stop him."_

_The goddess put her hands out to calm me. "There's nothing you can do for now. He's keeping you drugged. He wants you asleep until he needs you."_

_I shook my head, trying to recall the things that had made sense just before I'd lost consciousness. "But, why my blood? It heals vampyres, which is great but…what can he do with it?"_

_She gave me an encouraging smile. "What is the other side of healing? Nature always makes sure that there is a balance. One thing cannot be given without something else in exchange."_

_I thought for a moment. "Death." It wasn't a question but Nyx nodded. "He's going to use my blood to kill people? Healing and hurting? That's what my blood does?"_

"_Among other things," Nyx sighed. She stared back out at the crashing waves. "You know, if I had had it my way you would have been Marked. One of my most powerful high priestesses."_

"_What do you mean if you had it your way? You're a goddess." What was strange was that though this was true, I hadn't found myself bowing before her or averting my eyes. Everyone else who had been in her presence had said the same thing; they felt physically forced to adore and worship her by simply being around her. Our conversation was so casual, and I didn't find it strange at the time._

_Nyx laughed. "You don't honestly think I'm the only deity around here do you? I'm not even the only god in this hemisphere let alone this plane of existence." I opened my mouth to question but she barreled through. "Why do you suppose Liam wants to perform this ritual on Samhain?"_

_I stared. "What's sah-win?" I asked, trying to make sense of the word._

"_Samhain is the old Gaelic holiday celebrated around the end of October. I believe you know it as Halloween."_

_I nodded, beginning to comprehend. "Because he's creepy?"_

_The goddess laughed and it seemed to shake the earth. "Dig a little deeper Mari, I'm certain you'll figure it out."_

"_Well, it's supposedly when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest."_

_Nyx grinned as though I'd found a missing puzzle piece. "Exactly, so you are at your strongest. Your powers become whole." When I clearly didn't understand Nyx sighed. "There are always a certain number of powerful people created at a time," she explained, carefully. "At the time of your creation all deities had the same number of powerful beings on their side. With you, one side would have more than the others. This is not how it is supposed to work."_

"_Balance."_

_Nyx nodded. "Exactly, so rather than continue to fight over you, we all came to an agreement. You would possess a little of each of us. You belong to all worlds. All planes of existence. When you are exposed to those planes you can access the powers you need in them. In a way you are meant to…"_

"_Bridge the gap?" I suggested. When the goddess nodded I felt seriously overwhelmed._

"_Don't fret. Your destiny is not set in stone. You will probably never need to access most of your powers. Remember to breathe dear." I suddenly realized I was holding my breath._

"_I still don't understand, can Liam take my powers through my blood?" Nyx gave me a look that told me this was a stupid question. "So then, how do I stop him? He has some…power over the vampyres."_

_Nyx chuckled softly. "You'll find a way. You have more power flowing through your veins than he can even fathom."_

_I shook my head. "Why did you allow him the power to control minds?"_

"_I didn't," the goddess sighed in a huff. "I gave him the ability to see powers and potential. He stole the ability from another." Nyx looked at the sky as though she heard something. "You'll be waking soon."_

"_Wait," I cried. "Before I go, I have to know. Why was I made of stars in Daydream's vision? I…I am human, right?"_

_The goddess smiled. "Of course you are, but you won't always be, now will you?"_

_Before I could question this comment I felt my entire self being pulled away from this place of serenity. Judging by the pain in my head, I was heading back to my body._

**_*I hope to post the next chapter on Halloween. I hope ya'll are ready to have a wonderful (AND SAFE) Halloween.*_**


	24. Delusions of Grandeur

"Welcome back to us lovely Mari," Liam sighed, as I adjusted to the lack of light in the room. Much to my surprise we were in the common area. I had never seen it so dark and depressing. "We were beginning to fear for our goddess."

"I am not your goddess," I said weakly. I tried to move but found I was incapable.

Liam laughed. "Now, now dear. Save your strength. You have been paralyzed for now, though the drug should be wearing off in the next little bit. It's too hard to move dead weight."

"How long was I out?" I asked. At this point, knowledge was my only weapon. I couldn't move or do anything but observe and think.

Liam shrugged and sat at my feet. He began fussing with the hem of the dress I was inexplicably wearing. I decided not to question how I had come to wear this dress because I feared the answer. "Well, it is a half an hour until midnight on the night before Halloween so…almost three days? Yes, I think that sounds right. I've been too busy preparing to keep track of how long you've been out." Fear gripped my heart. I hated missing time. "Oh, in case you're wondering, David took off. He's such a coward if you ask me."

I glared at the vampyre. "I wasn't asking you, actually." Liam frowned at me. I didn't care if I angered him since, I was pretty sure, he wouldn't waste my blood before it was time. My blood was the only key to unlocking this power he craved. I was glad to hear David had escaped though. I didn't believe the coward part. I had told David to run should anything happen. Just then, Desmond entered the room. His eyes looked almost glazed over. "Desmond," I cried.

"Goddess," he replied, in monotone, with a short bow. He turned to Liam. "We have readied the alter and made all the necessary preparations."

"Good," Liam cried, glee shining from his eyes.

"Why are you doing this Liam?" I shouted, feeling more strength return to me. I still couldn't move, obviously, but progress was progress.

Liam gave me a condescending glance as though he knew my tricks. Still, someone as vain as him couldn't resist listening to himself talk. "I can sense so many possibilities to do with the power inside of you. You are capable of healing, commanding, manipulating the earth itself." He stood as he grew too excited to stay sitting. "Mari, you can create death and destruction or life and creation. With these powers, I can free us."

I shook my head but quickly stopped. I was gaining mobility. I had to keep him distracted. "What are you talking about?"

"I can free us from all of this, Mari," he shouted maniacally. "I could get rid of those who want to destroy us purely based on our genetics. I could turn other's into vampyres to increase our numbers and our following. Did you know you could do that?" I kept from shaking my head but noted that I could feel my fingers and toes again. "Hell, I could create a world for us, should this one prove useless." This idea struck him as brilliant. "Oh, think of it. A paradise in which we could just be. We wouldn't have to worry about Baggers or anything. And you could be the idol we worship. Then I could be your prophet. I was the first one to see that you were a goddess and led us into a new world…" He paused, taking a deep breath. "Sorry, I was getting a little ahead of myself."

I stood and took a swing at the vamp. "Not a problem." Unsurprisingly, Liam caught my fist and twisted my arm behind my back.

"Rude," he sighed, as I cried out in pain. "Very rude." Desmond immediately came over and took hold of me so Liam could look into my eyes. "You're not going anywhere." He squinted. "Well, okay, so you will be going to the alter soon, now that you have regained control of your body but…well you understand the general gist of my threat."

Liam was silent with his eyes closed for a few minutes. It didn't take long before Erol, Rosto and Kimmy filed into the common area like a bunch of automatons. It was scary. The look on the face of everyone in there reminded me of every zombie movie I had ever seen. No. They reminded me of humans under the thrall of Dracula. I couldn't help but smile grimly when I realized that he wanted the power to create vampyres, just like Dracula. He was living up to his creepy air.

With daggers, candles, books, creepy cloaks and chains in hand the vampyres took charge of me and we headed out of the tunnels. They didn't appear to care at all who saw them. Humans saw the cult of vampyres marching around and scattered. Liam certainly loved the dramatics. I knew the alter when I saw it because…my word, could it have been more stereotypical and gaudy? Black roses and dark red cloth with white markings on the ground. Those plus the literal cloak and daggers brigade and we had exactly the kind of ceremony humans feared the vampyres would do.

Erol and Desmond chained my ankles to the ground and my arms to the two columns which had been erected around the alter. The others lit their candles and stood around the white markings, which now looked to me like a combination of runes and alchemic signs. Then they began the quiet chanting. This I could not stand. I began pulling at my chains. I didn't expect to pull free but the sound of the chains clinking drowned out the chanting.

Just then there was a scream. I looked up to see David rushing at Liam with a large sword raised above his head. I don't know WHERE he got the sword from but it was nearly as tall as him. Liam stepped to the side, allowing David's momentum to throw him to the ground. Erol sauntered over to the human and held him with ease.

"Dammit David," I sighed, though I had to admit it was nice to see someone fight on my behalf.

"I'm sorry Mari," David shouted. "I just couldn't leave you. I didn't want you to think you'd been abandoned."

I raised a brow. "I _thought_ you had obeyed my orders."

Liam cackled. "Wait, this is wonderful. You can be the first one I Change with my new powers."

"New powers?" a voiced chuckled from behind me. "Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves?" The hairs on my neck stood up. I knew that accent.

Liam's eyes widened and his lips curled up, unpleasantly. "What are you doing here?"

"My sister met us half way," Jason sighed, as if this was some childish antic of Liam's.

"Then Nyx let me know something was up," Daydream continued, sounding less amused than she had initially.

"In other words," Jordan growled, "the cavalry has arrived."


	25. Power

"The cavalry?" Liam replied with distaste. "I always imagined them on horses." He moved closer to me, apparently prepared to still perform the ritual.

"Get away from her," Jordan growled again. The three had moved over to my right side so I could see them, at least peripherally.

"Alright," Liam said brightly, quickly jabbing me with something. My muscles seized and I lost all feeling in my body. He'd paralyzed me again. "That's fine. Everyone, attack our former family members." Desmond barreled toward Jason and the younger two took on Daydream. Daydream easily fought off the two though Jason appeared to be well matched. Erol threw David and lunged for Jordan.

"Erol, what the hell?" Jordan cried, ducking Erol's swift punches. He wasn't strong, but Erol was certainly fast. "Why are you doing this?"

Had I been able to do _anything_ with my body I would have growled in frustration. I wished I could tell Jordan what was going on. Then it occurred to me. I _intended_ to tell Jordan that Liam did in fact have some sort of psychic thrall over the other vampyres and that he was going to use them to drain me of my possible powers. Jordan paused to look at me, getting punched in the face but quickly recovering. "He's doing what? And what powers?" Elated that I had found a way to use Jordan's ability to contact him telepathically, I told Jordan all about my meeting with Nyx, Liam's attacks and his plan for the vampyres. "So how do we de-thrall them?" Jordan asked, breathless. "We may be handling ourselves but these guys are still seriously strong. Especially Erol here. Has he been working out or something? He's never fought like this before."

Suddenly, Liam appeared at my side and I wondered where he had been. "By my clock, Mari, it is now just a few seconds after midnight. You and I should get this show on the road without the others. Although, it will be less dramatic this way." I longed to glare at the vampyre in front of me. He began chanting in some strange language and drawing marks on me with soot. He had to stop however when Jason threw Desmond at him.

"Oops," Jason chuckled, "clumsy me."

I couldn't take this anymore. My friends were having to fight our other friends, a maniac was trying to perform some strange ritual on me and there was nothing I could do. You would think that someone as powerful as I supposedly was would be able to do _something_ to help or affect the fight in any way. Suddenly, some of Nyx's words came to me. She said that I had so much power flowing through my veins. My blood, because let's face it it's _always_ about blood, contained my powers. It didn't matter that I didn't know what these powers were or how to use them. The point was that it was there.

I sent as strong a signal as I could to Jordan. He stared at me. "You want me to what?" I narrowed my eyes, since I had regained feeling in them. "Alright, fine." He gave Erol a serious kick to the stomach and sent him flying, then drew a dagger from unconscious Desmond's belt and dragged it across my wrist. A gust of wind blew at me, as though it knew what I was doing, and carried the scent of my blood to the vampyres around me. Those under Liam's thrall stopped fighting and their eyes lost the glassy look they'd had. It wasn't until Rosto cried out and came running to help me that I was sure they were free.

"No matter," Liam groaned as he got up from the ground. "I can easily have them do my bidding again." His eyes became stormy, a strange sight I had never seen before, and he took a deep breath, preparing to unleash his power.

Just then, David came up from behind and bashed Liam's head with the hilt of the sword he had brought to save me. I smiled, having gained control over my face again, and prepared to thank him but I had no time. Before I knew what had hit me, Jordan grabbed me and planted his lips on mine. As wrapped up as I was in the kiss I did notice all eyes staring at us, since this was the first time most of them had even thought Jordan and I might be together. Then it hit me, he was kissing me in front of everyone. No hiding. No shame.

As if sensing my thoughts, Jordan pulled away and smiled at me. "I thought I was going to lose you when Daydream told us about Nyx's warning," he explained. "I don't want to lose someone I love ever again. And I'm not going to risk losing you emotionally just because I'm afraid I'll forget April. I refuse." He kissed me one more time then pulled away to face David. It was then that I saw Erol's face. His face hid his emotions very well but his eyes…they screamed of his anger and pain. I hadn't realized he cared that much about me. "Who are you?" Jordan suddenly demanded.

"Oh, this is David," I sighed, trying to ignore the pangs of guilt I felt in my stomach. "He's one of us."

"He's a Bagger," Jordan stated, staring daggers at the frightened looking guy.

"No," I scoffed. "You've got it wrong. David can't be—"

"He was trying to hide his thoughts about being a Bagger from me which, unfortunately for him, brought attention to the very fact." Now everyone was staring at poor David.

I shook my head. "That can't be. David, tell him."

David locked eyes with me and gave a sigh. "I can't. He's right. I was a Bagger."


	26. Remove the Bag

_***Okay so after you read this chapter I need your help, all of you. I can't decide whether or not I want to continue the journey in this story or start another one about what happens after all this. So I need you to go to my profile and vote. Either I put a couple more chapters in here to finish this up (because it's actually a rather nice place to "end" it) and begin another story about their struggle or I just find a way to string the next part and this together. I appreciate the input! :D Enjoy this chapter.***_

Erol lunged for David but was quickly stopped by Desmond. "I knew it!" Erol shouted. "I knew you'd just screw us over!"

"You're dead," Jordan growled, moving for David. Somehow, I managed to stop him.

I turned to David. "Why?"

David sighed and stared sheepishly at his feet. "What I told you about my brother was true. They have him now. They had me before. The scientists did experiments with mine and my brother's blood for a year and a half. God, I was stuck there a year and a half." He shook his head trying to rid it of memories. "When they were done they told me that I was free to go but that they'd be watching me. I asked about my brother and they told me that he was to remain in the containment facility. I couldn't bare it. I told them I'd do anything."

"So you sold your soul and became a Bagger?" Rosto demanded. I'd never seen him angry before. Frustrated, yes, but even that was just sweet and adorable. The look in the young vampyre's eyes was terrifying.

"Not a Bagger per se, but yes. I went through their training plus some spy type training. My first mission was to infiltrate your hideout. The Baggers knew there were some powerful vamps around here, just not where they were hiding. I was to get in, do some recon and get out."

"Again, you sold your soul," Kimmy reiterated.

Jason touched the girl's shoulder. "Lay off. I mean, what he did is awful but…what would you do if someone you loved like Rosto was Bagged?" Kimmy looked over at her cousin. "If you had a way to free him, you would." Kimmy nodded, staring stubbornly at her feet.

"But the noble thing to do would be to try and stop them, not aid them," the fledgling sighed.

"Sometimes being noble is really hard. I don't know if I could do it if something happened to my sister."

I'm sure this was a touching sight. Jason opening up and showing that he actually did have a soft side. I'm also sure that people like Erol and Jordan didn't give a rat's ass about the noble thing or David's reasoning and that they made it very clear through their facial expressions. But I couldn't honestly say. My eyes never left David. "So why did you come?" I asked.

"I told you," David replied, shaking his head with shame. "I was a coward and decided to do the Baggers' bidding. I came to spy on you."

I shook my head and took a step forward. "I mean, why did you come back?" David squinted at me. "You were out of harm's way. You could have gone back to the Baggers, told them what was going on and been rid of us. But you didn't. You came back, sword in hand for some reason, to save me. Why?"

David scratched his head. "I guess, I just felt I owed it to you. I felt bound to you. All of you. You're all an amazing group. But Mari, it's that loyalty I was talking about. I…ugh, I want to be like you. You know…if you guys don't decide to kill me."

Everyone began arguing all at once. Jason, Kimmy and Rosto arguing on behalf of David and Jordan, Erol and Desmond arguing against him. It was chaos and I was surprised a group of Baggers didn't find us purely based on the noise factor. In the midst of it all I looked over at Daydream. She too was silent and staring thoughtfully at me. I looked into her eyes and knew what she was thinking. _She removed the final bag to see a man who ripped the shiny badge from his chest to reveal his true heart._

"A Bagger's badge?" I asked her. Everyone slowly quieted down, surprised by my sudden question.

"That would be my way of thinking," Daydream admitted, nodding at me with a sagely glint in her eyes. "And he appeared by the grace of Nyx when Jordan wasn't here…"

"Giving him a chance to change first," I completed.

Daydream smiled widely, causing her big brown eyes to turn into little crescents. "Sounds like a divine plan to me."

I smiled back, feeling overwhelmed by a sense of clarity and purpose. "By the way, I seriously missed you," I told Daydream, my best friend. She grinned and gave me a squeezing hug that nearly winded me. But I was happy to have it. I turned to the rest of the vamps. "David stays with us, not only that, but he's going to help us attack the Baggers." I filled the three psychic vamps in on what Desmond and I had been planning, taking on the Baggers.

"What makes you think he'll actually help us?" Erol growled.

"What makes you think we can take the Baggers?" Jordan added, sounding just as crabby as Erol.

"He'll help us because I believe he really does want to help and he knows we can help get his brother back. I think you know this too Jordan, what with that whole psychic thing you've got going on." I looked over at David who seemed both nervous and confused. But he definitely didn't seem like he was going to run back to the Baggers. "And I think we can actually take on the Baggers because _they_ think we can." Now everyone looked confused but Daydream and myself. "David, why did they send you to us?"

"Because I was dispensable," he replied sadly.

"No, I mean why did they want this group watched?"

Understanding lit up David's face. "They feared your collective power and that you'd gather a following great enough to overthrow them."

I smiled and looked to the vampyres. "They are terrified," I announced as I began pacing. "You don't try to take out someone unless you think they can be a threat. They think we're dangerous, and I think they're right. You guys are passionate and dedicated vamps who have been cooped up long enough."I specifically locked eyes with Desmond and Erol who oozed warrior energy. "I think it's time we mobilize. Leave behind the safety of the tunnels and take on those who wish to destroy you. Let's fight for future vampyres and free the ones they have captive." It sounded like I was giving the Braveheart speech but the feeling of passion and confidence that emanated from my heart was genuine and overwhelming.

The vamps responded well to my enthusiasm. I'm pretty sure they would have cheered or something had Liam not stirred and disrupted our rising hope. Desmond sighed and shook his head. "He cannot be allowed to survive," the Son of Erebus said in a definitive tone. "As long as he has the ability to control minds he is a danger."

I thought of the books in his room. "Maybe we can drain him of his ability to control minds," I suggested.

Everyone exchanged glances. "Mari," Desmond sighed, carefully. "We can't guarantee that it will work or that he won't wake up and mess everything up before then."

When I shook my head, Jason stepped forward. "We're going to have to kill him Mari." I looked at those around me and David, Rosto and Kimmy were the only ones to seem as horrified as me.

"There's nothing else we can do?" I asked while running through ideas in my mind.

"Can _you_ think of anything?" Jordan asked me. I thought really, truly hard then shook my head. "Leave this to Jason, Desmond and I." When Erol opened his mouth to object Jordan added, "I only want one person he might be able to control here, it's easier to contain. Just take everyone back to the tunnels." Erol looked irritated but nodded obediently.

Everyone quickly began to leave but I discovered that my legs were still not working properly after Liam's paralyzing medicine. Erol saw and swooped me up. "Don't worry, I'll carry you."

I held onto his neck as he walked swiftly towards the tunnels. I watched his face remain hard as he moved. "Listen, Erol," I started.

Erol shook his head. "I stand by what I said Mari," he whispered. "He may be this way now but he may just find another way to make you feel insecure. He's a drama queen that way."

I cocked an eyebrow. "If you wouldn't keep it a secret why are you whispering?"

He smiled. "For your sake. You can pretend to be oblivious of my feelings for you." I pursed my lips, feeling genuinely torn. "It's not important right now. What matters is this new mission of yours. You're right, it's something we have to do. But just know that my feelings won't be changing anytime soon. I'll be waiting. After all," he chuckled, "I'm a vampyre. I have more time to wait than your average guy."

When we got to the tunnels Erol set me down on the couch and excused himself to go pack some of his things and some of my things in his room. He wanted to be ready should we need to leave that night. I sat there for a minute, trying to massage feeling back into my legs, before David sat down next to me.

"Why did you stand up for me?" he asked, giving me a hard stare.

I smiled and said the first thing that came to my mind. "Because I was meant to."


	27. Where Do We Go From Here?

Jordan, Jason and Desmond returned in silence with blood and ash coating them. I assumed they killed Liam and burned his body but I never asked. All of us decided not to ask which one of them actually killed him either. We just acknowledged their deed and tried to move on. However, somewhere deep inside, I just knew it was Jason. The saddening look of determination told me. I think Kimmy knew too because, despite her obvious longing to bug him and be around him, she stayed with Rosto and me in my room.

"What are we going to do?" Rosto sighed, pacing while his cousin and I sat on my bed. Kimmy rested her head on my shoulder which was not common for her to do. We all seemed to be needing some comfort right then.

"We're going to begin recruiting, humans and vamps, and prepare to go to war." It sounded vague but Desmond and I had a fairly detailed plan in place. We only needed Jason's expertise and connections to complete it.

"What if we need to run away?" Kimmy asked. I couldn't help but smile. She was the only one brave enough to admit that we needed a plan should we fail. It was still a possibility.

I sighed. "Well, I've looked into secluded areas in Scotland, and Australia has huge areas where everyone is pretty spread out. Unfortunately it's mostly the desert edges but a lot of it is in the grasslands. Any port in a storm, I guess."

Kimmy shrugged. "Maybe we should head out that way anyway. We could train in the open. It might be good for us."

I smiled and reminded myself to consult Kimmy on matters of logistics. She was pretty smart. "Bring that up in the next meeting. You have something there." She nodded, refusing to lift her head from my shoulder all the while.

"I've always wanted to visit both of those places," Kimmy sighed, longingly.

Eventually, Kimmy fell asleep on my bed and Rosto fell asleep next to it, keeping her company. The fact that they were under Liam's mind control for a few days had really taken a lot out of them. I think it terrified them more than anything. I left them to sleep since I didn't need any more. I found Daydream in the common area, having finally left Desmond to sleep as well. He and Jason had agreed to take on the challenge of our next move after some rest. Jordan had jumped in the shower then almost immediately passed out on his bed. Jason eventually joined us in the common area and turned on the tv. He never watched the tv, he just left it on to comfort him, I think. Erol, having finished packing, joined our "I can't sleep" party last, collapsing on the arm chair.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. None of us knew what to do or say. Should we pretend like nothing had happened, just for the moment? Should we talk about the issues? What was appropriate? Of course, leave it to Erol to break the tension. "So iron and silver are sitting at a bar when gold walks in. Silver says 'Au, get outta here!'"

Everyone groaned. "A periodic table of elements joke?" I laughed. "Seriously?"

Erol shrugged. "Every other joke that came to mind was seriously racist. I didn't think they were appropriate given the situation."

Daydream smiled. "I liked it."

"I didn't," Jason sighed, shaking his head.

Silence filled the room again. "I just…I thought we were safe," Erol said, sounding hurt and afraid. With his pout and his arms crossed in front of his chest he was the image of vulnerability. If the situation hadn't been so terrifying, it might have been adorable. "But, I mean, even if David is a good guy now, a Bagger got into our safe heaven and we were almost taken over by someone we thought was trustworthy."

Daydream shook her head. "You know Erol, that could have happened to anyone."

"Well," Jason chuckled, "not _us_." He gestured to the three of us who were immune to Liam's abilities. Daydream and I glared at Jason. "Well, it's true."

I turned to Erol. "You know what, it doesn't matter." Erol stared at me. "Seriously, though? We're all fine and the threat has been removed. We have some new plans of action, we've learned new things and we're moving forward."

Jason gave me a defiant look. "Are you saying we should just forget what has happened?"

"Absolutely not," I scoffed. "Those who forget the past are bound to repeat it."

"However," Daydream added, "those who live in the past will never make progress." I thought about Jordan and myself; two people stuck in the terrible events of our pasts.

"Exactly," I sighed, trying not to let my discomfort show through. "So we move forward and work on bettering things so that we don't have to worry about these things in the future."

"Think about it," Daydream sighed, "a future where there are no more Baggers. A future where we can stop hiding."

It was hard for any of us to imagine as we sat huddled below ground. I figured I couldn't imagine it because I needed to concentrate on the here and now. I needed to concentrate on what we were doing not where we were going to end up.

"Wow," Erol sighed, "that…really helped me." He sat up straight and looked at the rest of us curiously. "I think I can go to bed now. Huh."

Jason nodded. "Me too, actually."

Jason headed for bed and Daydream went to get some snacks from the kitchen. Before Erol left he leaned into me and said, "It will be awful weird sleeping in my room alone, you know." I gave him an exasperated stare. He gave me a huge grin. "Don't worry, I won't be saying things like that in front of Jordan. I just like to watch you squirm." He winked one beautiful blue eye at me and headed off to his room.

Daydream sat next to me on the couch with a bag of animal cookies. "Aren't you ready to sleep after your journey?" I asked Daydream, not that I was in _any_ rush to get rid of her.

"Not at all, you'd be surprised how restful my visions can be," she said with a mouthful of cookies. "Oh, so I had another vision that might help with our new mission."

"Wonderful," I sighed, not exactly looking forward to figuring this next one out. "We'll get on that tomorrow. I only just finished figuring out your last huge vision."

Daydream gave me a curious look. "You figured it all out?"

"Well, Rosto was the turned fledgling, David was the man with the badge, Jordan was the man shrouded in darkness and Erol was the man with the rose. The flowers represent the healing ability of my blood and Nyx kind of told me why I was made of stars. She was vague but it was something about me not always being human."

"Jordan?" Daydream asked, her head cocked to one side. "What makes you think that's him?"

I told Daydream about the night I had met Jordan and his attempt to attract Baggers. "He was trying to commit suicide. Serious darkness there."

"That's troubling yes but…just the regular dramatics of Jordan. It's what April complained about most."

I rolled my eyes. This sounded like him. "Then who could it be?"

"Don't know yet," Daydream said with a shrug. "But there's plenty of time to figure it out. The mission is what matters now."

"Yeah," I sighed absently thinking about the two vampyres I was torn between, the multiple destinies I may or may not have had, the vampyre we had just executed and what the future may hold. "The mission is the only thing I can even think about right now."

_***This was where Bagged was going to end and the next story was going to begin but...absolutely nobody followed my instructions to vote on the poll on my profile so...I'll just make it easy and say that this is where Part 1 ends but continue the story here. Hope you enjoyed Part 1 of Bagged. Part 2...is going to be fairly awesome. I'm not gonna lie! :D Thanks for sticking with me everyone.***_


	28. 6 Months Later

_***Sorry it's a tad long winded but it's all needed. :) Thanks to those who have stuck with me.***_

"More coffee, hon?" the waitress asked us.

"Please, for the love of god," David sighed. "Mari, you want more?"

I nodded and gave the waitress a thankful smile. I needed all the caffeine I could get since I wasn't sleeping much these days. I spent my days in town, waiting for refugees and speaking to contacts, and my nights back at our headquarters, training the recruits and planning. I spent six hours a day driving from HQ to town and back. Everyone tried to take turns watching over me and today it was poor David. He didn't handle the lack of sleep nearly as well as the others but he felt more inclined to volunteer than the others. He had spent the last six months trying to make up for being a Bagger spy. We'd all tried to assure him that not only did we trust him now but that he hadn't given anything about us away to the Baggers. He had nothing to atone for. He didn't believe us.

"David, you could go nap in the truck," I sighed from behind _The Julian News_.

He shook his head and took a gulp of his coffee, black. "No way am I leaving you alone. Erol, Jordan and Rosto would kill me if they thought you were unprotected."

I laughed at my "protector" as he shook from his eighth cup of coffee in the last few hours. "No offence, but do you really think you're more capable of protecting me than I am?"

He narrowed his eyes at my condescending tone. "No, just more capable of avoiding heated 'debates' with tourists."

I rolled my eyes and bit back the remark that our waitress would help me bury the body of anyone who crossed me. We got lucky. Daydream's vision directed us out west, to California. Our HQ was in the middle of a desert, the area was called Midland, just by the border of California and Arizona. No one was supposed to live out there but, lucky for us, there was an abandoned underground facility out there. Its design seemed like it was a government facility but the craftsmanship and things left behind made it pretty clear that it had been a fallout shelter. Or maybe it was used by a cult that wanted to fall off the map. Either way, we were set. Nobody came out that way and at night we could come out and train in the open. It was beautiful.

During the day I drove to the little mountain town of Julian. The town was literally just on the local highway. The 78 just passed through it. People would probably just drive through and hardly notice if the place wasn't so charming and famous for its apple pie. Most small towns, Paris Tennessee for example, feared and turned over those wanted by Baggers. Julian was not one of those towns. They went to great lengths to help us all out. They were part of our little underground railroad. Not only did they help us in terms of supplies and protection but they also sent refugees our way. It was nice to have people working to help us rather than thwart us for once.

"Have another piece of pie, sweetie," our waitress said sweetly, putting a piece of apple pie on a paper plate in front of me.

"Oh thank you but I'm—" Before I could object she scurried away. I stared at the pie and contemplated it. I _loved_ their pie but the four pieces already in my stomach made it less appealing.

"You gonna eat that?" David asked, staring wider eyed at the pie. He'd had twice as many pieces as me. The guy could not get enough of it. I nodded and he dove into the pie as though he hadn't eaten in weeks. When he finished it up, in a matter of seconds, he pushed the plate over to me. "I'm assuming this is meant for you," he mumbled, mouth full of pie.

The plate had been written on. _GIRL IN LEFT CORNER HASN'T STOPPED STARING AT YOU ALL DAY. CONCERNED?_ I casually reached for the sugar on my left side and stole a glance of my fan. Sure enough, there was this chubby girl in a baggy sweatshirt and jeans, with a sweatband on her left wrist, watching me from behind her wavy brown hair. She didn't even bother averting her gaze when I looked at her. She just smiled. I put some sugar in my coffee and made a mental note to keep an eye on her. This, as it turned out, was uncalled for since she took this as an invitation to come over to our table.

"Hi there," she said, cheerfully. I gave her a wary glance. Cheerful people made me nervous. "My name's Jenn." She pulled a chair up and sat down.

"That's nice," I replied, pretending to read the newspaper.

Jenn laughed. "No need to play coy. I know you're a Helper." Government term for those who harbored either vamps or vamp sympathizers.

David scoffed. "We're nothing of the sort." David had become a fantastic liar.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Look, I want to help and I'm actively seeking a safe house."

I raised a brow. "And why would a young lady such as yourself need a safe house or a Helper? Why would the government want you?"

Jenn smiled and began stacking little creamers. "I was part of a resistance group, kind of the brains in the operation, but we got raided when one of our warriors got anxious and went to fight without us."

"So you escaped a raid," David chuckled. "Doubt the Baggers will be after you for that."

"I didn't escape the raid." This caught my attention. I stared at her. "That was when I was fourteen. They took me in as part of this experiment thing." She looked up from her neat little pyramid of creamers. "They gathered teens and children to program for certain uses. There was a group being trained to be the ultimate Baggers, a group being trained to be spies, a group of fledglings being trained so that their powers could be harnessed and the government needn't fear them." She sighed. "Then there was also a group called the 'PC Project'. We were literally being turned into PCs."

"PCs?" I asked, unable to hide my interest any longer.

"Personal Computers. We were being force fed computer information." She said this so calmly but the image it brought to my mind left me feeling a little ill. I imagined children being forced to watch videos or listen to commands or something. You know, eyes tapped open or machines hooked up to keep them on track. "PCs were generally children who were already gifted or higher, in terms of intelligence. Different PC groups were given different programming. Some had mathematics, some science, like NASA grade stuff, and some were fed the document files. I had documents. People profiles, blueprints, plans, the list goes on."

I shook my head, not sure what to make of this. "And you escaped this?"

Jenn smiled. "With some help, yes. You see, a lot of them caved easily and were brainwashed. Seriously creepy, might I just say. A little group of us though managed to keep our own minds."

"How well did this programming work?" David asked.

The girl turned to David. "You are Project 314 Beta, David Norton. Project 314 Alpha is your brother, Tyler Norton. Identical twins but your brother managed to acquire the vampyre gene. Extensive testing was done. When I left you had been transferred to the Bagger training unit for adults. That was two years ago. Am I right to assume you escaped while out on a mission?"

David stared, open mouthed, at Jenn. "How could you tell that?"

Jenn pointed to a tiny hole in David's shirt. "I saw your barcode through the hole in your shirt and was able to figure out the whole code with…" She sighed and rubbed her temples for a minute. "Wow, I couldn't sound more geeky if I tried. Point is, I saw your code and it's engrained in my memory."

I looked over at David. "You were in the program?"

"No," Jenn chuckled, "he was a genetic experiment. You can tell by the placement of his code. Left side of the chest means genetic experiment, right side means ultimate Bagger training, nape of the neck means the fledgling project, the left wrist means PC project," she moved her wristband to show us her barcode, "and the right ankle means top secret, hush hush." She put a finger up to her lips and winked.

"You say you escaped with others?" David asked, trying to seem unfazed by the whole thing. It was then that I realized he hadn't told us much about the years he'd spent as an experiment.

Jenn nodded. "A fellow PC, two ultimate Baggers, two fledglings, a spy and a top secret test subject."

David cocked an eyebrow. "And where are they?" I couldn't tell if he was suspicious or not but when I heard this I immediately thought _Gee, that would be helpful!_

"We split up immediately," Jenn sighed, showing sadness for the first time. "The fledglings took off together, the spy took the test subject and my fellow PC left with one of the Baggers." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Unfortunately, the other Bagger, my partner, was shot by a real Bagger who was hot on our trail."

I glanced at David's watch. "That's just fine," I sighed, taking a last swig of my coffee. "I wanted to get back earlier today and, since we've had almost no visitors, I think we'll head back even sooner than I planned." I put money down on the table and stood.

David sputtered. "What about her?"

"She's coming too," I replied with a nod. Jenn needed no further explanation. She darted over to the table she had been at and grabbed a small bag. David just looked at me, dumbfounded. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"She's lying to us and is actually a spy," David replied with a hushed urgency.

I shrugged. "Then we kill her." David gave me a hard look. "What? We have psychics. If they find anything then we do away with her. I really don't have the energy to deal with this right now. C'mon Jenn, let's get going. We have a long drive ahead of us."

Our waitress waved as we left, truth be told she was a little sweet on David. Not that he'd ever notice. "Gee, you're tired?" David growled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But you get so much sleep."

"I do just fine," I sighed, not ready to deal with his weekly lecture.

David snorted. "That's debatable."

"I don't understand," Jenn sighed, shaking her head. "Your profile said that you were mild mannered and respected authority."

I could not stop laughing! I laughed so hard I ended up snorting. "Haha, very funny Mari," David growled. As we approached the truck he pulled the tailgate down. "You ride in the bed," he told Jenn who, quickly, began climbing in.

"No," I sighed. "She's the only one. She can ride in the cab with us."

David gaped at me. "Would you like me to prepare a suite for her at home? Run her a hot bath?" I rolled my eyes. "Seriously Mari. You're being all soft on this girl."

"You're being overly cautious. Need I remind you how welcome Erol made you feel when you joined us?" David gave a heavy sigh and began the meditative breathing he had adopted since becoming my frequent companion into town. "It will be fine." I grabbed the keys from his pocket. "But I'm driving. You're too much of a stress case. I'm worried for your health." David gave a startled laugh, took another sigh and escorted Jenn to the front of the truck.

The long drive through the desert was eerily silent. I kind of disliked the drive a lot of the time anyway. You went from the mountain town of Julian to the desert area that looked like the perfect place for your car to break down and have some creature or loner serial killer come find you. Jenn didn't agree.

"It's so beautiful," she sighed, looking at the Joshua trees not far off.

"It all…looks the same after a while," David replied, wearily. But he couldn't take Jenn down. I had to admire her persistent optimism. She cooed at the oasis that was Brawley but was insanely happy when we went back to the desert. After over three hours you'd think she'd get tired of it, but she didn't.

"Where are you going?" she asked, when we turned off the main road to go toward our hideout.

David and I didn't answer her. David made sure no one was following us and I made sure no little desert critters were running out in front of the truck. Jordan had accidentally hit a rabbit a while back and I still hadn't forgiven him. He wasn't allowed to drive the truck unless it was on the main road. If anyone had been watching us, it would have looked like we were getting ready to drive straight into the side of a small mountain. Instead, the side opened up and we pulled into our "garage". Whoever built it was genius using both steel plating and the inside of the mountain itself to make a sturdy building.

I stepped out of the truck, my legs aching. "Well, you're home early," Kimmy chuckled. I looked over at our beautiful high priestess of Nyx. She had Changed in December and, with her affinity for both earth and water, she seemed a natural choice for a priestess. Her hair was red again but it was still fairly short. "What? Wasn't your small mountain town exciting enough?"

"She just missed me," Rosto said, with a wink, as he joined his cousin. The two slept nearly as little as me and spent most of their time together. They were like twins. "So, Mari, how was…" He trailed off as both he and Kimmy saw Jenn.

I prepared to introduce our newcomer to the two but Jenn grinned and said, "Rosto? Kimmy? Is it really you?"

David and I looked between them. "Do you know one another?" David asked, once more suspicious of Jenn.

"Of course. They're the fledglings I was telling you about." She smiled lovingly. "Although, I guess they aren't really fledglings anymore."

I stared in wonder. I remembered Rosto telling me about the House of Night they had been in. I remembered hearing about their childhoods and family. Never once had a secret government facility come up. "Guys…is this true?"

The cousins exchanged a look and sighed. They turned and moved their hair to reveal barcodes at the base of their scalps.


	29. Fine

"Oh," David laughed. "I get it. This is a dream! That explains everything." Everyone stared at him. "There's no way Kimmy and Rosto would keep something like this from us. And wouldn't we have noticed if they'd had government training? No…a dream is the only explanation."

I shook my head. "You have fun with that David." I turned to Kimmy and Rosto, getting a good hard look at them. What else had they hidden?

"We can explain," Kimmy said quickly, in a higher pitch than normal. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Look," Rosto sighed. "It wasn't like we were keeping something huge from you. We just wanted to put it behind us. We didn't even talk about it at the House of Night we escaped to. It's just something we want to forget. Something we want behind us." Rosto looked to his cousin. She seemed to share his sentiment.

I locked eyes with Kimmy. "You're going to make us tell you anyway, aren't you?"

"I just want to know the little things. How long were you there?"

Rosto shrugged. "Can't remember really."

"I can," Jenn piped up. "They were actively in the program for a year. Three months prior to that they were Marked. There was a Tracker being used to find candidates for the program so in the same moment they discovered they were to be vampyres and that they were being abducted by the government."

"Oh no," David chuckled. "We're not allowed to say 'abducted' now are we?"

Rosto grinned. "That's right. We were 'rescued' or 'taken into custody'. Because 'the government does not abduct'."

The four shared in a good laugh. An inside joke from their time on the inside. Or does that phrase only apply to prison? Regardless, I stood there looking at four people who had been abducted and branded by the government.

"Out of curiosity," I asked, breaking up the disturbing nostalgia that was going on in front of me. "Kimmy and Rosto, did you retain any of your training?" I hadn't allowed the two to be in any of the scuffles we had encountered. I was worried about their safety. Silly me. Because of this I had no idea what their physical abilities were.

Kimmy nodded. "Muscle memory. I accidentally beat the crap out of this one girl at our House of Night when she was picking a girl fight with me. But I didn't explain to the professors why I had done it. How do you tell people you were programmed by the government?"

I smiled at her. Emotionally the girl was ridiculously strong. "That's fine." I looked to Jenn. "I don't suppose this facility is still in place."

"Hell yeah it is," Jenn replied, far too chipper for the conversation we were having. "They don't remove facilities because that means having to build a new one. Building attracts attention. They will have changed security codes though, but those are easy enough to—"

"Fine," I said quickly, cutting her off. "I think that this will actually work out in our favor." I looked to the cousins. "No more secrets." Both of them bowed their heads in shame. "Is everyone up?"

"About half of the crew is awake," Kimmy said quietly. "They knew you wanted to get home early, but not this early."

"Dandy," I sighed, and began walking out of the garage. "David, show Jenn around and run her by the psychics. Just in case she's been reprogrammed since her escape. Can't be too careful. Rosto and Kimmy, continue as usual." I left before they could respond.

I made my way through the halls to the war room/my quarters. The whole way people stood aside and said things like "Excuse me ma'am" and "Good day ma'am". I hardly responded to any of them. I was far more introverted here than in the tunnels of Tennessee. Who could socialize when they spent all of their time planning and fretting? Honestly, half of the reason I didn't sleep was because I was plagued with panic attacks and nightmares in which everyone died and I was left to bury them. I was left to mourn them and know that it was my fault they had died. Isn't it fun to be the general?

I closed the door to my room and went over to my cot. I reached underneath it where I hid my stash of junk food. A Chocodile would certainly calm me down. As soon as I bit into it there was a knock on the door. For the love of Nyx, couldn't I get ANY privacy around here?

Since it was Erol at the door, he simply walked in without waiting for a response. When he saw me wiping chocolate from my face he chuckled and shut the door behind him. "Mari, are you that stressed?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied with a mouth full of chocolate.

"You're stress eating again," he said with a sigh. "You know it isn't good for you."

His tone was so patronizing. I swallowed the food in my mouth then snapped, "Bite me."

"Love to," he said with a devilish grin. He was one of very few people who had the nerve to talk to me that way. Basically, all of the original group still teased me and treated me like crap. Only Desmond refrained from doing it but even he took me down a notch when he needed to. "What's wrong now love?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, ignoring his inappropriate behavior. I had spoken to both Jordan and Erol about the mission being what was important and my need to concentrate solely on that. Jordan had told me he understood, although it seemed more like when I had told him that I understood his need to keep our relationship a secret. Erol had told me that he made no promises. Both of them continued to flirt, continued to fight for my attention and tried to get me alone for nefarious purposes. Normally, I'd kind of like this attention. Right now, it was a nuisance.

"Apparently the government has been doing super secret experiments on young people and, lo and behold, our very own Rosto and Kimmy happen to have been of the few who got away from said experiments." Erol raised a brow. "Yeah, did you know they have barcodes under their hair? Because they do."

"Nevermind," Erol sighed. "Eat all you want. In fact should I get you a pack of cigarettes or a strong drink?" I made a disgusted face. "So how did we discover all of this?"

I told him all about meeting Jenn and the story she had told us. I was always able to unload and tell him everything. Daydream, who kept a piece of paper with two columns saying "Erol" and "Jordan" on it, said that this was a point for Erol. She refused to let me see the score.

"So what are you going to do with this information?" Erol asked.

I shrugged. "There are a number of ways we can go with it. I'm particularly favoring the approach in which we systematically destroy every one of these kinds of facilities." Erol squinted at me, a sign that he wasn't in favor of that plan. "Obviously I need to talk about it with Desmond and Jason. They're better with this strategic stuff."

"Where's this new girl sleeping anyway? Is there any more room?"

"That's not my job," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair again. "Besides, as long as people need it we'll always have room." Erol gave me an exasperated look. "It is getting a little crowded around here, I'll admit." I took another big bite of my Chocodile.

"Crowded?" Erol scoffed. "There's more room in downtown Tokyo. What's our population again?"

"We're nearing on three hundred," Daydream said, happily, from the doorway. "And I don't appreciate you making fun of the overcrowding in Tokyo. It offends my Asian nature."

Erol stared at Daydream. "But you're Chinese."

Daydream puffed out her chest in mock indignity. "And I feel the need to stand up for my Japanese brothers and sisters." She chuckled then immediately regained her somber prophetess air. "I had a vision about our latest addition. Her story checks out." She smiled and nodded solemnly. "You were right to bring her back here. We're going to need her."

"I don't suppose the goddess gave you a specific outline of what we're going to need this girl for," Erol sighed, jokingly. Daydream gave him an exasperated look in return. "No, of course not."

Daydream locked eyes with me. "On the plus side, our mystery man is heading for us now." Erol gave her a funny look but I knew what she meant.

I took a deep breath. "Fine."


	30. Boys Will Be Boys

_***Short but sweet.***_

"Why do you say that all the time these days?" Erol asked after we left Daydream and began heading for the mess hall. Daydream and I had agreed to talk when everyone else left to train in one way or another.

"What do I say?" I asked, intrigued.

Erol smiled at me. He loved the attention. "You say 'fine' all the time. No matter what it is you're responding to. 'Mari, I was shot while you were out but it missed all major organs.' 'Fine.' 'Mari, we may have been discovered due to a breach in security.' 'Fine.' 'General, I discovered the key to locating the lost city of Atlantis.' 'That's just fine.' Seriously, Mari, it's all you say. Why?"

I thought about it for a moment. I really hadn't realized I was saying it. "I don't know. I guess…it's simple and neutral. It's curt and to the point."

"Well," Erol sighed, "I don't know who this Kurt is but I'd like it if you were Mari. She's much cuter."

"Curt, as in—"

Erol laughed at me and stopped walking, grabbing my hands. "I know what curt means, love. I was just kidding. You know, my boyish charm which you find so attractive."

I cocked a brow. "I do?"

"Oh yes," he whispered, leaning in closer.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat. I looked into a nearby doorway and saw Jordan standing there, arms crossed in front of his chest and his eyes nearly blazing with annoyance. "Erol, what happened to giving Mari space?" he growled.

"She has space," Erol retorted, motioning at the couple inches of air between us. I backed away. I did NOT want to be in the middle of this yet again.

"Dammit, Erol. We had a truce, remember?"

Erol waved away Jordan's reminder. "I was half drunk. You can't count anything someone says when they're half drunk."

I stared at the two. "When exactly were you two drunk?" I asked. Considering it was almost impossible for vamps to get drunk, I hated to imagine how much alcohol that might have entailed.

Both guys looked around guiltily. "We took Rosto to this bar on his birthday—" Jordan started.

"You took the underage boy to a BAR for his birthday?"

The two exchanged a glance. "Well," Erol sighed, trying to play it off, "I mean…it was his birthday and he's getting older and—"

"Nineteen," I said, narrowing my eyes. "He's nineteen and you're taking him to get drunk?" The two paused and looked to one another. I had to admit that it was nice to see them working together for once, even if the cause was futile. Sometimes, when they fought, I felt like I had pinned friend against friend. Then they worked together, just for a moment, and I remembered that it was probably a good thing that they so often fought.

"Hey guys!" Rosto called, running down the hall to meet up with us. "Daydream says there's a meeting to…" He trailed off when he saw all of our faces. "What?" He met my gaze then growled at the other two, "Seriously you guys? You told her about my birthday?"

They began to bicker but a frustrated sigh from me shut them up instantly. "Not another word," I warned them. "If you're lucky I will forget about this whole thing because we are preparing for war and not only am I busy but you all should be able to blow off steam. For the moment we just need to head over to the mess hall." I started to turn but looked at the three one last time. "I'm very disappointed in you."

I turned and stormed down the hall, the three vampyres following a few feet back. I couldn't help but smile when I heard Rosto whisper "What are the odds that she'll forget?" and the other two reply, in unison, "Not bloody likely."


	31. Trouble at Our Doorstep

Everyone stared at me setting their bowls of cereal down and completely forgetting their breakfast. "The government really does that?" Althea, a prophetess fledgling, asked with her mouth full of pancakes.

"Does that really surprise you?" Jason asked, though he had seemed surprised enough when Desmond and I had told him. "I mean, they are willing to hunt us down why not train fledglings and program humans?"

Desmond put his hands out in front of him. "This is not a big deal for us. I mean it is a big deal but—"

The entire mess hall broke out into nervous chatter. People asked one another if they had known or could have guessed that this was happening. They asked what this would mean for them. They asked if we were going to do something. The most annoying were the ones who seemed to think either that I should have figured this out before or that I had and I was keeping it a secret from them. These were the ones who constantly questioned my authority and were certain that they could do a better job.

"Look," I shouted, my voice booming. I always managed to be heard over the ever growing troops. "Here's all you need to know. This girl, Rosto and Kimmy are proof that the program has been going on. Because they escaped we know where these facilities are and might be able to break the prisoners out or at least stop the workers there from continuing. You are being told this," I growled glaring at Carmen and Aldo, my two biggest objectors, who had already opened their mouths to complain, "because we like to keep you all in the loop. Mind you, most of you are already too old to be of any use to them. No offence meant to the chronologically advanced." I nodded to the vampyres who were one hundred plus years old. "But the younger one is the easier it is to program them. Now you know what we know and as soon as we decide on a plan of action you will know that too. Any questions?" I looked around for hands raised but my tone made it clear that there were to be no questions at this time. I couldn't handle the questions anymore. More than anything, I couldn't stand the same questions being rephrased over and over as if they were brand new questions. "Fine," I sighed, and quickly turned to leave.

I heard Jason announcing which groups would be training with what that evening and soon heard footsteps behind me as well. "What Aldo?" I asked, without turning around.

"How do you always know it's me?" he chuckled nervously.

"Magic," I sighed, turning to him. I'd never admit that it was those god awful "vintage" shoes he was wearing. He was the only one whose shoes made that thwacking noise against the concrete floor. "What is it?" I asked again, giving him my deadliest glare. Unfortunately, he was too big of an idiot to be scared of my glare.

He gave a charming smile. He was used to charming people into listening to him. "I was just thinking that _maybe_ you should allow certain people to speak to you about their ideas for plans of action."

"No."

He pressed his lips together. "I mean, shouldn't we get a say in all of this?"

"No," I sighed, irritably. I was tired of this dance. "I'd love to have others share my job but that's not how it works. Some of us are in charge and the rest follow. So fall in line and get over this need to be in control."

"That's not fair," Aldo snapped.

I narrowed my eyes, biting back a remark about his childishness. "Maybe not, but it's efficient." He opened his mouth to object. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have important things to do." I turned to leave but Aldo grabbed my arm. Hard. I glared up at him. "You want to remove your hand, _now_." There was a little fear in his eyes but anger made him stand still and keep hold of my arm.

"I'd listen to her if I were you," Daydream warned from the other end of the hall. "If not for fear of her then for fear of the vamp dudes who love her." She gave a devilish grin. "It'd be a shame if you turned up dead."

Aldo's lips pinched together so his mouth was just a little dot on his face. He closed his eyes and let out a meditative breath. He let go of my arm and stomped down the hall, muttering to himself. Daydream whistled. "Wow, has he got some problems or what? Should I tell your boyfriends about this?" Daydream loved mocking my romantic situation a little too much.

"Forget about it," I sighed, walking over to her. We began our walk down the hall. "He's just frustrated and antsy. I can't really blame him. I promised them action and instead I have them all _still _waiting_._ Just in a different location."

"Oh please," Daydream scoffed as we turned into her and Desmond's room, which doubled as one of our two armories. "It's only been six months and most of that time has been spent in finding both a location and those who needed us. Besides, we did stop that massacre in Wichita Falls so…point for us. We did _something_."

I tried not to think about that awful battle in Texas. It actually looked like we were about to lose that battle until this amazing Baptist congregation came to join us. It was unbelievable. "Okay, sure." I plopped down on a chair by her bed. "Alright vision lady, gimme your dream."

She made a face. "I hate it when you oversimplify it like that."

I gave a big grin. I was aware of what she did and did not like. "I'll keep that in mind."

Daydream rolled her eyes. "Well, to make a long dream short our man shrouded in darkness is heading for us, and he's not the only one."

"What do you mean?" I asked, slowly.

"I mean…you wanted to give the troops action? Well action may well be coming to our doorstep."

I massaged my neck, which had tensed up due to sudden STRESS. "Like…when?"

In response to my question there was a sudden commotion from outside and from the front rooms quickly followed by people calling for Daydream and myself. We shared a look and took off down the halls. When we arrived out front, where our training grounds were, we saw almost every vampyre in our army staring at a handful of fierce looking fighters.

"We might have gone after them," a young Son of Erebus whispered to me, "except they appeared out of nowhere. It was terrifying."

Jason emerged from the crowd. "The lead guy demanded to talk to the most powerful woman here. We didn't know which one of you he was talking about so—"

"So we should go up there as one unit," Daydream completed, clearly approving. I nodded in agreement and we made our way over to the small group. We pulled our shoulders back and held our heads up high. It is key when meeting those of questionable intent to seem as superior and intimidating as possible. "May we help you?" Daydream asked, taking the lead.

The vampyre who was clearly their leader eyed us both with his sharp green eyes. He smiled and his upper canines looked very similar to fangs. "Well…I'm only looking for one of you," he chuckled, eying us both carefully. "Although I don't mind speaking to the two of you. My name is Lucas. I too have an army of vampyres—"

"We don't just have vampyres," Daydream quickly corrected. "We have anyone who wants to join us in the fight for vampyre rights. Namely, the right to exist."

There were some chuckles from our troops. The one thing we all ever agreed on was that one point, that it was horrifying to see people denied the right to exist.

"Lucas," I said stiffly, my eyes never leaving this vamp. I got a strange vibe from him. Not his personality just his presence. Something wasn't there. It felt like we were talking to a shadow. "Please, just tell us what you want. I detest those who dance around and never get to the point."

Lucas smiled and looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. "Then you _are_ Mari. I figured as much. You're not as impressive as I imagined you would be." I froze and stared at him. "I don't know why but I pictured energy simply flowing from you. But that's not very realistic is it?" The troops around me shifted nervously and I could almost feel Jordan and Erol making their way through the crowd. "He told me all about you though. And he could only sense about half of what you are. Which doesn't detract from his abilities as a Seeker. You and he weren't on the same level."

"Seeker?" the young Son of Erebus asked. I hadn't even noticed he'd followed us to the action until that moment.

Lucas's eyes flicked over to the young vampyre. "One who senses abilities, mostly in vampyres."

"And who is this Seeker you're talking so much about?" I asked, though now I realize I should have known the answer.

Lucas smiled. "My old House of Night mentor. Liam Bloodgood."

My heart grew cold and I saw Daydream stiffen out of the corner of my eye. I could only imagine the terror on the faces of the others who remembered that awful Halloween. "Your mentor?" I questioned in a cool tone, acting like this didn't alarm me. After all, we had barely made it away from Liam, did we really need to deal with his protégé?

"Yes, before we went into hiding. But even then we kept in contact." He gave a predatory grin. "He filled me in on everything about you, including his convoluted plan to pass you off as some sort of goddess. That was foolish…sloppy. But the power flowing through your veins is very real and holds serious potential."

His threatening manner must have made Jason and Jordan nervous because they both signaled for two archers to shoot the man. As the archers shot a smile crossed Lucas's face and I knew this was a mistake. Both arrows passed through the vampyre and his soldiers, landing in the leg and shoulder of a fledgling and vampyre, respectively. That's why I felt something was missing. His body wasn't there. Our troops fussed about and some ran to the two injured ones but Daydream and I remained where we were, unflinching.

"I was afraid of something like this," Lucas sighed, looking between Daydream and myself. "So I decided to astral project, a specialty of mine." He shook his head as he noticed the glaring army around him. "This first impression is not going as I would have liked. We're going to have to try this again. I'll be seeing you." He nodded to Daydream and me then disappeared with his troop.

I glared over at Jordan and Jason. "Get them cleaned up," I snapped, pointing to the two with arrows sticking out of their bodies. I turned around and Erol stood behind me. "Get everyone back to training and then gather our commanders for an emergency meeting." He nodded and immediately set to work. Daydream and I headed back into our cozy stone and metal hideout. "Please tell me that was not our man shrouded in darkness," I begged Daydream.

"Goddess, I hope not," Daydream sighed. "Because I don't think that even you could bring him to the light."


	32. Discuss

_***I hope everyone had a good holiday time and read the wonderful HoN book, Awakened. Definitely one of the best books of the series though a bit depressing. Anyway, I'm sorry this update is long overdue but...whatcha gonna do. Not my best but I just hope some of you still read it. Oh and, I hope those of you from Australia who read this are alright what with the flooding and everything else being thrown at you.***_

"Astral projection is when a person sends their soul out of their body," Daydream explained, as though my question was obvious. I didn't see anyone else of our commanders looking as though they could fathom what she was describing. "It's actually a lot like dreaming for the body but instead of projecting into a dream world, the consciousness is sent into the real world. Sometimes they are invisible, sometimes they come across like a ghost, sort of semi-transparent—"

"Or sometimes they're as solid as if they were there in person?" I suggested, to which Daydream nodded.

Erol raised his hand, as if in school. "Did anyone else notice that those strapping young men with him looked awful similar?"

Daydream nodded. "He probably conjured them up somehow to intimidate us."

Rosto clapped his hands together and stood from his seat next to me. "Aha. So now we know that he has no imagination. You know…since all the guys looked alike."

Everyone gave Rosto a weary stare. "Don't try so hard," Kimmy whispered, patting his hand and encouraging him to sit back down. Rosto smiled nervously at the rest of us. I had made him feel bad about keeping his past a secret. I made a mental note to fix that. I liked the kid and he was my most loyal friend around there, including Daydream.

"So what does he want exactly?" Jason asked with a scowl. Because Lucas had only been an astral projection Jason hadn't been able to read his energy which made him feel frustrated and useless.

"Well, had he shown up like a real man I would have been able to read his intentions," Jordan growled. For the same reason as Jason, Jordan had been unable to read his intentions, which put him in a seriously sour mood.

Desmond's brow furrowed attractively as it always did when he was thinking. "He said that Liam had been in contact with him, so he probably knew about both of your abilities. It probably influenced his decision to show up in astral form." The Son of Erebus drifted off then looked at his mate in alarm. She nodded and glanced over at me. We were all three on the same page. "Well then I have an idea of what he might want, and I know that it can't be very good." Everyone else stared at him. "I don't remember a lot of what happened while we were under Liam's control but I do recall a list of things that could be done with Mari's blood. If this Lucas knows even a few of them he can do quite a bit of damage."

Everyone thought in silence for a moment. "Well," Rosto began, tentatively, "I remember him wanting to create a brand new world for vamps to live in. Would that be so terrible?"

I looked down at my fingernails, feeling guilt at the hope in his voice. "In the long run, it would be wonderful," Daydream replied, when I remained silent. "But it would require a great amount of sacrifice. To start with, Mari would probably…"

"It would require all of my blood," I sighed. Rosto's eyes went wide. "And probably more than that. There is no give in this universe without some take. It might result in serious disasters and mass death." Nyx and I had discussed this in December when I nearly died from a sword in the stomach (go figure, those things are deadly). She had also mentioned something about demons being set loose on earth but I decided there was no need to alarm the others.

"Well," Daydream said, clearing her throat, "we'll be able to ask him soon enough. He's not done contacting us, Mari."

Jordan looked alert. "Did you have a vision Kōngxiǎng?" I never knew why he insisted on using her real name some of the time.

"No," she chuckled. "He specifically said that he'd be seeing Mari and myself, and I don't think he's the kind of guy to break an engagement like that."

All the men in the room looked up in arms but only Jason spoke up. "Well we won't give him the chance. We'll have you two watched, round the clock and—"

Kimmy chuckled and all of the men stared. "You will do no such thing," she sighed in her cool and in command priestess tone. "Meeting with him will give Daydream and Mari insight into our new _friend_. Besides, he could easily just astral project into a room with them. No use in trying to stop this." Jason pursed his lips and glared. Since Kimmy had become a priestess she'd stopped being such a puppy dog to Jason and instead began challenging him whenever she could. Sometimes it got on his nerves but I think sometimes he liked it. "But until he decides to appear there's nothing more we can do. So, might I suggest that we get back to training the troops and planning for this here war we're planning?"

Everyone went back to the training yard except for me. I went to the armories to do my millionth inventory check. "Don't let him talk you into helping him," a voiced warned. I spun around to see the new girl, Jenn, in a corner with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Who what now?" I sighed. I hadn't even noticed the girl in the hall.

"Lucas," Jenn whispered, reverently. "He can come off as charming and has ways of manipulating anyone he comes upon. He could even make you think something was your idea when it was really his. He's a terrorist, a vamp extremist, making everyone else look bad."

I put my hands in front of me to calm the girl. She was working herself into a frenzy. The last thing I needed was for her to go crazy. "Okay, don't worry. So, if you know about him then the government knows about him? He's in the computers?"

Jenn scoffed and rolled her eyes. It was then that I realized she was crying. This vamp scared her to tears. "They don't know a tenth of what there is to know about Lucas." She looked into my eyes. "I know things about him because I know him. Remember how I told you about that warrior in my resistance group who got anxious? Well that was him. Only…it wasn't so much him getting anxious as much as it was him going out and slaughtering a bible study group."

The girl stared at me, unblinking, and I stared back. Her lip was trembling and I couldn't blame her. Something so terrible from her past catching up with her would certainly warrant a bit of a breakdown. If something from my past were to catch up with me- I silently shuddered. Then a thought suddenly occurred to me. "Wow, first it turns out you know two of our vamps and now you know the crazed vamp who suddenly appears at our back door. I'm not one for coincidences."

"Neither am I," Jenn replied with a scowl. "I'm starting to think Nyx brought me to you for a reason."

"And what reason would that be?"

"To bring that bastard down."

I cocked a brow. "I thought you wanted to help us overturn the government."

"One step at a time."


	33. Desmond

_***Just fyi, Desmond is secretly my favorite character in all of this. Short chapter but I wanted this out there. If nothing else, there's a little more Desmond than there has previously been. Also special thanks to xXxPuppet-GrLxXx for your kind words. It's because of people like you that I keep writing in general. After getting turned down by a certain number of agents you start to doubt your abilities. Although thanks to everyone who inexplicably reads this. : D You're all awesome.***_

"She submitted herself to a _third_ psychic reading, Jordan," I sighed from my bed as Jordan paced in front of me. "She's turned up clean in every reading though our psychics are probably going to have nightmares for years about what Jenn has had to go through in her life."

Jordan scoffed and gave me a condescending look. "C'mon, don't be naïve, Mari. There are no coincidences in this world."

I bit my tongue and held back a retort to his lack of confidence in my judgment. "I know, but I also know that Nyx is a goddess who likes to push people together. She doesn't force our decisions but she pushes us toward the right ones. I think Jenn is something Nyx is pushing on us, and Kimmy and Daydream agree." He opened his mouth to reply but I cut him off. "You may recall that I managed to find the tunnels in Paris even though it was extremely well hidden. You may recall that I stumbled across you before you could make a huge mistake that would have gotten you Bagged."

He stopped his pacing and, after a deep sigh, walked up to me. "Right, sometimes I forget why you're in charge."

I smiled. " 'Cause I'm a big smarty?"

Jordan grinned and leaned his face down toward mine. Just then, of course, Erol walked in. "Now who's going back on our truce?"

Jordan growled then spun around to face Erol. "You did it first. Why can't I have _my_ moments with Mari?"

"You say that like we're sharing her, Jor," Erol commented with a cocky smirk. He enjoyed using words against Jordan. Words were his greatest weapon. "I don't think Mari appreciates being seen that way." He smiled at me. "Do you Mari?"

With that they went off on one another. Arguing and poking fun at one another and pointing out their flaws. Yes, because what I needed was more fighting. War against the government wasn't enough for me.

So, I took my leave of them. I stormed through the halls, people stepping aside and saluting me. When storming off people stopping to salute you can be quite annoying. I finally made it outside to the area that overlooked the training grounds. About half of the troops had already packed it in but the ones who were still out kept going strong. Some were running laps but most were practicing hand to hand combat.

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" Desmond sighed, stopping next to me.

I nodded. "But is it enough?" The Son of Erebus gave me a curious look. "I mean, can we really fight the government and their vast army? Can we make even a tiny difference? Or are we just making the genocide of vampyres easier for them?"

Desmond's forehead crinkled in thought. "What else would you have us do?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I just…I wish I could do more." I sighed and stared up at the crescent moon. "I wish I could just bleed myself dry and create a world for you guys without any consequences."

Desmond sighed and gave me a knowing smile. "I don't believe you could take your own life Mari, even for such a cause."

"I did try," I replied, trying hard not to tear up at the memory. "Nyx came to me and told me about the consequences. I was devastated to know that I couldn't do it."

Desmond stiffened. I tried to look into his eyes but he avoided me easily. "Does anyone else know you did that?" I shook my head. "Good, don't tell them." He finally looked at me and I instantly wished he hadn't. "I would hate for you to appear weak. That's the 'easy' solution and it would have done those who see you as a leader very little in the long term. If you ever consider such an option again come and tell me so I can slap you." His intense look softened. "If nothing else, I feel like you're my sister, in part because of your closeness to my mate. I couldn't lose you and Daydream would surely die if she had to lose you."

I fought even harder to fight back the tears. "But I don't know what else to do. I have fighters with no one to fight. Every day the number of those who have been Marked grows and I have no way to get to them. Everyone is sitting here, waiting to be led by someone who has pretty much no idea where to lead them." I stared back out at the vampyres and fledglings, practicing with such commitment. "What good am I even doing them, Desmond?"

The Son of Erebus smiled sweetly. "We won't know until it's over, I'm afraid. Hindsight is 20/20. So you have to live to find out." He looked out to the horizon. "There's a storm coming," he sighed, a strange air to his voice. "We should ready ourselves for it."

"Why did you sound like Daydream when you said that?" I asked, cautiously.

Desmond raised a brow. "Did I? Then perhaps you should be ready for a less literal storm as well." He paused before adding, "General."

I pushed Desmond's shoulder lightly. "Thank you Des. Where would I be without you?"

"Oh please," Desmond pished. "You'd be just where you are. You know why you're in charge right?"

" 'Cause I'm a big smarty?"

Desmond chuckled. "Because you're a giant smarty."


	34. Doors

Sure enough it rained for an entire week, which is a little dangerous in the desert. It also meant no going to Julian, unless it was an emergency like when we ran out of toilet paper, and nearly 300 vamps and vamp sympathizers kept indoors for seven days. Emotions were running high on both ends of the spectrum. For example, it was hard for me to keep away from Jordan and Erol and it was equally hard to keep them from killing each other. Daydream spent most of the week trying to push me towards deciding which one of them I wanted to be with, you know when she wasn't locked up in her room with Desmond.

"Well," I sighed to Erol, Jordan and David, who had just broken up a large brawl in the mess hall. We were heading for the medical supply area to get some band aids if nothing else. "Windchill says that tomorrow night the rain should ease up for about four or five hours. He's usually dead on so let's prepare for that." Windchill was one of our most intriguing fledglings. He had a powerful affinity for weather. He defined storms by their personalities, could easily predict what the weather would be like, to the minute sometimes, and he could bend it to his will. He was AMAZING.

"Good," Jordan growled, pulling ice and a wash cloth from his seriously split lip. "We can work them in that time. Get rid of some of that excess energy."

Erol chuckled as blood trickled from his eyebrow over his black eye. "I don't know, I think that fight got rid of plenty of that 'excess energy'. Goddess, those brats have some serious fight in them. I now have zero doubts that they'll be able to go to war with the Baggers. Damn!"

David nursed his wounded arm and left the large and deep cut on his cheek alone. He was going to need stitches. "Are there going to be any consequences for this? Because—"

"They'll be in charge of the equipment and run as many extra laps as Desmond sees fit," I replied. I'd thought of it immediately after walking into the mess hall to find the brawl. "Additionally, Kimmy will assign them some extra chores." All three men opened their mouths to ask the same thing, but I beat them to the punch. "You guys will not be allowed to choose the punishments because you can't be impartial about it." I stopped in my tracks just before reaching the door to the supply area. The guys got a little ahead of me and turned around. "In fact, maybe you guys shouldn't be allowed to go near them for a while."

All three men rolled their eyes. "Honestly," Erol scoffed. "How unprofessional do you think we are?" The tall men opened the door to the supply area and quickly shut it again before spinning around to face me.

"What's wrong?"

"You know what?" Jordan said quickly. "We should go talk to Desmond before even _thinking_ about tending to our wounds."

I gave them a doubtful stare. "You guys are bleeding. David needs stitches and for his arm to be immobilized."

David scoffed. "What? This? Naw, I'll be alright."

There was the sound of things falling to the ground in the supply area. "What's that? Who's in there?" There were loud moans from behind the door. "Is someone having _sex_ in there?" Jordan and David averted their eyes and cleared their throats and only Erol kept my gaze.

"Just let it go Mari," Erol cautioned. He meant it in a nice way but all I heard was an order. I didn't take orders well.

"I'm going to put a stop to this."

I moved for the door only to run into a wall of guys. All three of them gave me pleading stares. "C'mon Mari," David begged, "let him have this moment."

I froze. Suddenly I knew who one of them was. "Rosto?" I shuddered and both Erol and Jordan glared at poor David. "But who—?" There was a female cry of pleasure from the room behind the guys. My eyes widened. "Jenn? Jenn and Rosto are…oh goddess." I allowed the guys to lead me away from the door. "This is ridiculous. This is why we can't stay cooped up like this. People turn into animals."

"Oh please," Erol chuckled. "Like you wouldn't be doing the same thing right now." He gave me a fiendish smile.

"As if you'd even know that side of her," Jordan interjected, heatedly.

Then they began to fight, chests puffed out like gorillas. Apparently they hadn't had their fill of senseless violence for the day. I stared at them, shaking my head. I couldn't have this constantly popping up. These were two of my best warriors and they were wasting all of their spare energy on, what? Me? This was insane. I looked over at David and saw the annoyance on his face. He was begging me to do something. If nothing else, Jordan was starting in on the jab that he'd slept with me and Erol hadn't.

"Enough," I shouted, finally knowing what I had to do. "That's it, you've made my decision for me." Both vampyres stopped and turned to me, shocked by the sudden harshness in my tone. Good. They needed to be shocked. "I don't want to be with either one of you. If you're too…immature to be able to get along and you can't even respect my request to let it go then…I can't even picture being with you guys."

They exchanged a glance. "We'll stop," Jordan promised. "I'd rather share you than not be with you at all. Please Mari."

"Let us off with a warning," Erol added, not as desperately as Jordan.

I shrugged one shoulder. "No. It's over. You guys don't have to fight or wait anymore. You can move on." I sighed. "I just wish I'd figured this out before, then you guys wouldn't have fought so long. It's my own fault."

Jordan began begging me to reconsider and blaming Erol for things then blaming himself. It was…well pathetic to be honest but it truly saddened me to see him like that. Erol just stood there, giving me a hard look. After a few moments he sighed, "Fine, if that's how you feel," and walked away.

Jordan, on the other hand, kept calling to me as I walked away. I needed to get some air. Who cared if it was raining? I made my way to the entrance.

"What was that Mari?" David called, running after me while holding his injured arm up.

I stopped with my back to him. "What are you talking about?"

"I've had enough training and know you well enough to know that you just lied in there. A lot." David stood in front of me, forcing me to look into his eyes. "Why did you do that?"

I looked around. We were alone, so I let go. "Because I can't have that much on my plate. I can't be worried that they will kill each other when we're supposed to be battling the enemy." I began crying. "I have to concentrate on the mission. The mission is what matters, right?"

David pulled me into a hug and let me cry onto his shirt. "I get it Mari, I do. Please don't cry."

"I just," I pulled away, sniffling, "I have to make them move on. It removes some of my worries about them. In order to be sure they're safe I have to distance myself."

David shook his head. "Now you lost me. Mari how can—"

A loud pounding on our hidden door cut David off. Who found our hide out…in this storm?


	35. Stranger in the Rain

Aldo, who was a surprisingly impressive Son of Erebus, came running as soon as he heard the door. Desmond and Rosto quickly followed and Erol sauntered in after, briefly glaring at me. The visitor pounded on the door a couple more times before the warriors were ready to fight, if needs be, and we humans, David and I, were out of harm's way. When the door finally opened a man in a dark hoodie and jeans stood on the other side, soaked to the bone. He glanced at the gun, arrow and swords trained on him before asking, "May I come in?"

Desmond smirked at the stranger. He admired cockiness, especially when he knew that the person who possessed it was no match for him. "First you want to tell us how you magically stumbled upon our hideout." Normally someone would say that in the form of a question. Desmond, the in charge guy that he was, said it in the form of a command.

The soaked guy chuckled softly before coughing. "Ah, that's exactly how." No one moved. "Magic, I guess." Just then Jordan, Jason, Kimmy and Daydream arrived at a run. Our visitor nodded to them like he was greeting his buds.

"Who is this guy?" Kimmy and Jason asked, simultaneously.

"Connor," he replied with a wave. He was playing cool but something about him made me certain that he was ready to fight or run if he needed to. He was like a bow and arrow, poised to act.

"Better question, what is he?" Jordan asked, looking as closed to scared as I had ever seen him look. "I can't see his intentions. His mind is a blank."

Jason nodded. "Same here. He's…coated in darkness."

Erol shrugged at Jason's comment. "You can't see human energies anyway. Nothing big."

"But I don't see anything with most humans. With him I see darkness. I don't see anything on Mari and David. He's covered in a blanket." Jason glared at Connor with a dark intensity I had never seen before. He hated not being able to see most humans, seeing that there was something he couldn't see enraged him. "He's got some serious power for a human."

Daydream and I looked at one another. "Shrouded in darkness?" Daydream suggested.

I massaged my temples. "Well that was…painfully obvious."

"It's not like her to make things so plain," Daydream sighed, examining our visitor.

I thought for a moment. "I'm not sure he's hers." Everyone stared at Daydream and me like we were insane. I pushed past our…warrior men and came face to face with the stranger. "Connor, you said?" He nodded, his hood dripping. "Alright, Connor, how did you find us?"

Connor sighed. "I've had these…visions for the last seven months that have been directing me here. Mind you, it was pretty weird when I started having them since…I've never had a vision before in my life." He looked straight into my eyes. "I don't know what powers he's talking about but the darkness is because I'm psychically invisible. It frustrated my last girlfriend a lot since she was a mind reading vamp."

"You runnin' from Baggers?" Kimmy asked, analyzing his face.

"Doubt I'm even on their radar," Connor scoffed. "Although, looking at you guys I'm guessing you _are_ running from Baggers."

Desmond straightened up. "Who's running?"

"We are," Aldo mumbled under his breath.

I glared over at Aldo. "You can go now," I barked. He glanced nervously over at the man in the doorway then back at me. I rolled my eyes. "Or you can shut up and stay." He nodded, begrudgingly. I turned back to Connor who was thoroughly soaked by now. "What did your dreams tell you?"

"Not much, flashes of things. Like, I know a fight's coming and you'll be at the front of it all." He smiled. "I also know you're not quite what you seem." Kimmy began to object to Connor's presence, saying something about him not seeming right but, to be honest, none of us, including Kimmy, could recall what she started to say. All we heard was Connor continue with, "And many of us will die in the battle to come." We all stopped to stare. "Lines will be drawn and sides will be chosen. Three will become two and all answers will be within our grasp. The gods are coming together on this one and we will be their armies." He smiled but his eyes were distant. He wasn't some guy anymore. He was a conduit, the voice of the future. "End is coming kiddies. Pick your partners for the hoedown."

And with that he promptly passed out with the rain beating down onto him. We stared for a moment before Aldo said, "Aww, somebody tired himself out with creepy prophesies."

"Anybody else get the hoedown bit?" Kimmy added.

David shook his head. "To add to the creepy Aldo mentioned." We continued to stare. "So…what are we going to do with him?"

I closed my eyes and massaged the sinuses at the bridge of my nose. Something about this entire night was giving me a headache. "Put him in the sick bay, we'll keep an eye on him."

David and Aldo lifted Connor by his arms, dragging his feet along behind him. "Wait," Kimmy scoffed. "Did you not hear that whole creepy speech? Do we really want him in here? I mean, he's not even Nyx's , I can tell you that much."

I turned to face her. "Yes I did. Yes I do. And, yeah, I know he isn't Nyx's. But I'm not solely Nyx's either. I should probably look out for those blessed by other gods as well." Kimmy furrowed her brow in concern. "When he wakes up we can figure more out. Your concerns are noted, I promise. You're our priestess."

Everyone went off, including my pouting jilted men, to tell/warn the others about our new arrival. I stayed in the doorway, watching the rain fall on the desert around us. Daydream appeared beside me. "So, on the plus side, he might be the final guy from my vision. I know how you love closure," she chuckled, entirely unaware of the closure I had just arrived at with Jordan and Erol. Still, I stared out at the slowly graying sky as the sun touched the edges of the heavy clouds. My fingers wrapped around the coin I kept around my neck. "What are you thinking about, kiddo?"

I sighed. "I'm thinking about the part where he said that many will die."


	36. The Calm Before The Storm

"Rosto and Jenn?" Daydream squealed. "Oh I never would have guessed. And in the supply closet none the less. Oh Rosto, you dirty boy." Daydream found the whole situation hilarious and not disturbing. How were we best friends?

"Why aren't you mortified, like me?" I demanded.

Daydream gave me a grinning shrug. "I'm not his adopted big sister. I see him as a very attractive young man. And Jenn sees him even more so, apparently."

I groaned and stuffed my hands in my sweatshirt. We were sitting outside in the area that overlooked the training grounds. It had stopped raining and the sky was completely clear with the bright half moon lighting the few overachievers who were still training. It was nice and quiet, something we didn't get much of these days.

Connor still hadn't woken up from his prophesy induced sleep so Erol volunteered to keep an eye on him, rather than deal with me. Couldn't blame him. I was a total creep with the insensitive way I'd blown them off. Still, what was done was done. There was no going back and no point in regretting. Jordan stayed on the other side of the compound with some girls gathered around him while he sniffled about me. I had a feeling he was going to bounce back no problem. David, who wasn't allowed to train after injuring himself in the fight the night before, was being kept busy by Aldo. The guy bugged me but David seemed to enjoy talking to him. Everyone else spent the rest of the night training for the first time in a week.

So, with everyone else busy, I spent the whole night alone. I oversaw some training and got in some sparring but I felt completely separated from the nearly three hundred people around me. I should have been used to this. I'd spent the last few months pushing people away so I could be a more efficient general. But tonight, the loneliness ached. It was nice to finally get some time with Daydream.

"So," I sighed, trying to get the subject away from Rosto's sex life (EW!). "What do you think of all that stuff Connor spouted off last night?" I never got the chance to ask her since everybody split up to calm the troops and get things ready for training and I hid in my room wracked with fear.

Daydream looked thoughtful for a moment before blowing air through her parted lips, sounding kind of like a horse. "Hell if I know."

"But you're a prophetess," I chuckled, "aren't you supposed to understand the visions of another?"

She shook her head and played with her long black hair. "I'm with you Mari. I don't think he's Nyx's. If he's blessed by some other god…maybe their prophets work differently? I don't know! Just sounded like nonsense to me."

I stared up at the moon. "Bummer. I could have used a hint or two."

"We'll all help you, Mari," Daydream quickly replied, placing a hand on my arm. I looked over to see her staring at me with a concerned mother look on her face. "It isn't all up to you. You have a support system for a reason."

I nodded and forced a smile. Would any of them want to help me if I kept at this distancing myself thing? I had told Daydream about what I said to Erol and Jordan. I didn't need to tell her why I did it. She completely understood. I mean, I could tell she didn't necessarily approve but…she understood. And she definitely didn't make me talk about it, which I loved.

I opened my mouth to respond to Daydream's supportive words but she quickly looked out into the darkness. "What is it?"

"He's here," she replied.

"Who is?"

She looked at me like I was an idiot. "Lucas." I sighed and glanced down at the people who were coming in from training. He was probably waiting for them to disappear just in case. _Damn_, I thought. _I really don't want to do this yet._ "So what do you think?"

"We wait and hear what he has to say," I sighed, accepting the inevitable. "Desmond will somehow know he's here and sneak out to supervise so…I guess it couldn't hurt to get this out of the way."

Daydream nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

When Lucas finally appeared from a shadow he seemed disappointed that we weren't surprised. "Was I being noisy or something?" he asked, leaning back against the railing.

Daydream gave him a weary look. "You don't exactly have a presence that can be easily ignored.

I stood in front of him and crossed my arms over my chest. "What do you want? Spit it out quickly before the warriors notice you're here."

He smiled, humor dancing in his green eyes which, I realized, were even more piercing now that he was physically here. He pushed back his sandy hair. "I should think it's obvious. I want our teams to come together. I have nearly four hundred vampyres in a compound not too far east of here. Together, we could do some good. Plus I know of several smaller groups of vampyres and humans who would readily join us. Many have heard of you, through prophets mostly, and have expressed interest in finding and joining you." He stared hopefully into my eyes.

"I'm sorry," Daydream scoffed, "but don't you hate humans?"

Lucas turned to Daydream with a hard expression on his face. "I could do without them, yes, but I don't _hate _them, per se."

"You do realize I'm a human, right?" I said, daring him to respond.

He smiled down at me and I suddenly realized how much taller than me he was. "Well, you're a special human. But, yeah I do realize you're human. You kind of reek of it." I pursed my lips in irritation. "Look, the point is, we have a common goal. It's like you said," he sighed, nodding to Daydream. "We all believe vamps have the right to exist. And…for now that's what matters."

I stared up at him. "You've killed humans."

"Only the ones who needed it. Besides, I hear you have a similar reputation." I continued to stare. This should have been a black and white situation. I had killed to protect myself and my groups. I didn't drink their blood and get off on it. So why didn't it seem like a black and white situation? Why did it feel incredibly grey? "So what do you say?"

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "Would you take an oath, should we agree to this arrangement? An oath to the group. An oath to protect everyone, human and vampyre, in battle. Because I can't be worrying about infighting. War is too difficult with three sides."

Lucas nodded. "I agree completely. That's why I wanted to team up." I stared, waiting for his answer. He rolled his eyes. "Of course. I would take an oath and make everyone in my army take an oath."

I looked back at Daydream for a yea or a nay. Her face was blank. I rolled my eyes. She was just going to be a spectator in this match. "We'll discuss it. Come back tomorrow night for an answer. Might I suggest you come in astral form? Just in case."

He agreed, placed his fist over his heart and exited. "Oh goddess," I sighed, placing my hands over my face. "What just happened?"

Daydream chuckled dryly. "Three became two, just like Connor said."

I sighed and looked out at the horizon. "Everyone is going to be so mad." I took a deep breath then turned to Daydream. "We should get inside, rain is going to start up again."


	37. Sides

As we opened the door to go inside Desmond stood in the entrance hall. His arms were crossed over his chest, his forehead crinkled in thought and his eyes examining me. He could be so intimidating sometimes.

"You heard?" Daydream asked, seeming a tad nervous as well, which was weird since she was _never_ nervous around him.

He nodded but continued to stare at me. "So?" I inquired. "What are you thinking?"

"That you might be a bit crazy," he said plainly. "But that's usually what I think when I'm talking to you."

I scoffed. "What happened to me being a giant smarty? I liked that Desmond better."

Desmond raised a brow. "Yeah, well, that Desmond is on sabbatical because you're freaking him out. I'll be taking his place for a while." I gave him an exasperated look. "Anyway, I originally came down to tell you two that Connor finally woke up."

"Brilliant!" Daydream said, excitedly. "Maybe we can get his creepy prophetic opinion on the whole Lucas sitch." She rolled her shoulders like a cat getting ready to pounce.

Desmond smiled and gently kissed his mate. They were a perfect balance. She was air and he was earth. He seemed to live for those moments when her breezes cooled him. He turned to me and I blushed, realizing I'd been watching them like some kind of creeper. "Council isn't going to be very happy about you even considering teaming up with Lucas," he warned, referring to our friends, the elder vamps we'd asked to be advisers and a select few of the younger vamps and fledglings who had proven themselves capable. The latter unfortunately included Aldo.

"Yes well," I sighed, already imagining what Aldo was going to have to say about it, "it's still worth it to try."

* * *

"Is this a joke?" Jordan demanded after Daydream and I had recounted our conversation with Lucas.

"Of course not," I replied quietly. The incredulous stares from the council were making me feel like a giant idiot.

"At what point did this even _seem_ like a good idea?" Aldo chimed in, getting to his feet.

I raised a brow. "Seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh wait, you didn't mean the idea of bringing this before the council."

Aldo sneered. "No, I definitely meant bringing a dangerous terrorist into our home as well as his four hundred closest pallies. At what point did the wellbeing of our soldiers, particularly the humans, cross your mind? Or did it cross your mind at all?"

Rosto leapt to his feet and stared down Aldo. "You're going to take that back and sit down right now." Aldo glared up at Rosto who had a good six inches on him. "Mari has done more than you can conceive to keep all of us safe. She isn't our leader because she talks the loudest and you'd do well to show her some respect. You don't have to agree with her, but you do have to respect her." Aldo's brow quivered. He sighed in submission and sat back down next to David who refused to look up from the ground. Rosto glanced back at me and I responded with an appreciative smile. I loved that kid.

"Alright," Jason said, straining to maintain a calm tone, "so I guess that most of us are having a problem getting past his…well his past. Didn't Jenn say he'd massacred a church group? Is this not a bad anymore?"

"I don't think that's what she means," Kimmy sighed, in a very diplomatic tone. "Sometimes you have to overlook things for the greater good. We can deal with his indiscretions later."

Jordan gave a bitter laugh. "Indiscretions? We're talking about murder, not about him lying about having an affair with an intern."

"Maybe there's more to it that we aren't seeing here," said Lorne, a three hundred year old Warrior we'd picked up in Louisiana.

Althea, our prophetess who had just Changed in the last week, piped up from beside Jordan. "Murder is murder. Those humans are dead because of him."

"Alright," Erol scoffed. "Everyone here who hasn't killed someone, raise your hand." Only Althea and the other two fledglings raised their hands. "See what I mean? Death sucks, that's a big affirmative. You know what else sucks? Dying. If we lose this war we die." He looked up at me. "I believe that's the point you were trying to make, yeah?"

I nodded solemnly. It sucked when someone speaking on my behalf was someone I had so recently hurt. "Exactly. I've already told him that, should we agree to combine our teams, he and his soldiers will be required to take a blood oath before Nyx, binding them to us and our cause." Many looked doubtful. "Look, I'm not going to sugar coat it. We go up against them as we are, we're going to lose. Lucas has an army and connections to other armies who are looking for someone to lead them. We need to lead them. As a collective, we have the motivation and the vision but not the muscle. He can provide us with muscle."

The meeting continued much in that manner. People, namely Jordan, Althea, Carmen and Aldo, continued to come at me, questioning my leadership. Meanwhile others, Erol, Rosto, Kimmy and Daydream, continued pushing for everyone to at least consider the idea. It was unbearably tedious. The naysayers refused to come up with any other argument to support their side, whereas those in favor of the merger kept coming up with reasons why it was a good idea. The elders kept giving me meaningful looks which, really, I couldn't quite discern. Finally I decided that enough was enough.

Everyone left the meeting a tad shaken, no matter which side they were on. I'd finally said that I was taking charge and that this was the decision I had made. Only, I said it in many more less polite words. Yeah, I wasn't going to have a friend in the world by the time this war was over.

I left the meeting before anyone else and headed straight for sick bay, to check in on Connor. When I got there he was sitting in his bed reading some comic books. I didn't even have to ask where they came from. Connor looked up at me. "You know, that Erol guy tried to explain this Meleka Fray character to me but I just don't get it." He tossed the comic aside and grinned at me. He was actually pretty cute when he wasn't going off on crazy prophecies. "So, did you guys ever come to a decision on what to do with me?"

I leaned back against a supply cabinet. "Well, it turns out you're going to be the least of our problems for a while. We're taking in this vamp army with questionable motives. Lucky you, prophets of another god have been bumped over to next weeks' schedule." He chuckled and leaned back on his elbows. "So, what god do you work for? Do you know?"

He shook his head. "I really don't. But I feel some strange…not to sound like I'm coming onto you or anything but I feel like we're connected through this god. Is that reasonable?"

I nodded and gave him a vague explanation about my origin. He seemed to understand although I hardly understood most days. "So, you sort of said last night that you were willing to fight with us, right?"

"I did," Connor replied with a grim smile. "If nothing else, that vamp girlfriend I mentioned was killed by Baggers. I'm in favor of taking them down. Also, maybe you could help me find out what god it is I'm supposed to serve."

"Maybe," I sighed, my mind lingering on the way the meeting had gone.

"You made the right choice," Connor told me with confidence. "I'm not quite sure what it was but…I can feel it."

I raised a single brow. "Thank you, that means so much," I replied, unable to hide the sarcasm.

Connor chuckled but then his face went serious. "Your decisions will pretty much always be on and you'll always doubt them because others do. But don't. You have it in you to win this. Your fate is written in the stars."

Then I realized he'd gone into a prophetic trance. "Written in the stars? What does that mean?" I thought back to when I first met Daydream and she'd told me about the dream where I was made out of stars. "Why was I made out of stars in Daydream's vision?"

He gave a vacant smile and tilted his head to the side. "I wonder what those left behind will call you." And with that he snapped back to consciousness. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"


	38. You're Doing Fine

_***Sorry, midterms are getting in the way of my life. I promise the chapters will get better. I guess school just has me depressed.***_

Lucas showed up just after the sun set. He looked like he hadn't slept at all since talking to us. He stood exactly where he had the night before with his hands clasped behind his back, his chest out and chin up. I stared at him, the rest of the Council behind me. "You came in person?"

He nodded. "I took what you said into consideration but decided that the best way to gain your confidence was to show up in the flesh." He smiled cautiously at the Council. "This way your psychics can pick my brain and ensure that I mean no harm."

Jordan stepped forward. "I'll be the judge of that." He, an elder named Caltha and a powerful fledgling named Gia stepped forward and sniffed around the bemused vampyre.

Gia inhaled, which she said brought a person's essence into her senses and allowed her to see their life paths. She tilted her head from side to side, sifting through whatever she'd absorbed from Lucas. "I don't see him betraying us anytime soon. Although these things can always change." She opened her eyes and gave Lucas a menacing glare. "But I'll be keeping my eye on you. Make one mistake and you won't have time to regret it," she warned, glaring up at him. Gia was barely five feet tall and built like a pixie so it was hard to take her threats seriously. Lucas, however, had the decency to act as though he did.

Jordan stared Lucas down, searching his intentions. "He doesn't intend to betray us. In fact, he seems pretty focused on our merger working out." He leaned in and whispered something to Lucas who lifted an eyebrow.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied to Jordan.

Jordan patted his shoulder, but not in a friendly way. More in an aggressive way. "Then we're not gonna have a problem." He turned to me and nodded. If Jordan was willing to approve then I had a good feeling about it.

Next Caltha stepped forward and put her hand to Lucas's chest. Lucas gave me a concerned look but I just smiled back. I loved Caltha, she was so old that she actually _looked_ fairly old. Her long silver hair fell elegantly down her back and she had wrinkles in only happy places, you know around her mouth and eyes from smiling. She was a vision and older than I could even imagine. We were lucky to have her. "Your past is something of a blur," she sighed, as she read the young vampyre's life line. "Even before being Marked you had an…active life." I could see him lock eyes with her. This meant she was showing him a memory of his that she was currently reviewing. "You might want to bring this up at some point gorgeous." Lucas smiled and looked down at his feet. Caltha turned to me. "He is a fine young man and a worthy warrior. I have no objections, lady." She bowed deeply to me and returned to her place near the other elders. She insisted on treating me with this respect because I was a warrior human who, in her time, would have been a revered leader. I didn't entirely object. Aldo however did.

I glanced over my shoulder to the Son of Erebus beside our high priestess, pretending he wasn't staring at her. "Jason," I called out, "what about you?"

"What about me?" he scoffed.

Erol took over for me. "You're psychic, take a look at him." Jason rolled his eyes. "Look, she respects your opinion more than most people here. So give your opinion." Despite the fact that he growled this, Erol was buttering Jason up. It was the best way to get him to do something. He was pretty vain. Which doesn't make what Erol said a lie by any means.

Jason looked over at me. "I can only see his energy. So, I know that he can, obviously, astral project, he has an affinity for the earth and can communicate with the dead." Jason stared at Lucas and his eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Good on you." He turned back to me. "Among other things. But that doesn't tell you much about him."

I smiled. "It tells me more than I knew. Thank you Jason." Kimmy smiled up at Jason who simply stared at her in return. He had no idea what to do with the feelings he was suddenly developing for her. I could find it amusing later. Now I turned to the rest of the Counsel. "Are we satisfied then? Can we not kill me over my decision?" I was met with no verbal objections, although Aldo seemed less than pleased to be silent. "Good," I sighed and turned to Lucas. "When can your troops be here?"

Lucas smiled, relieved. "Tomorrow night, just before dawn."

I nodded. "Be here. And don't make me regret this." He smiled again, an intimate smile that said, _You know you won't_. "Well, get gone. Tell your people to bring only what they need. We don't have enough room for a million soldiers plus a lifetime worth of crap." Lucas nodded, obediently. "Also let them know that they, as well as everyone else, will be required to swear their allegiance before Nyx. I'm not half assing this!"

"You have my word, ma'am," Lucas replied, placing his fist over his heart. He gave me a sweet smile.

Jordan growled. "What did I say?"

"I wasn't…I was just," Lucas stuttered. "I was being respectful." Jordan glared at the vamp, pursing his lips. "I'm going to go now. Thank you, all of you. I hope that you find this move advantageous in the days to come." He bowed once more and then was off.

"I still don't like this," Aldo complained to David, under his breath.

Everyone groaned. Even those initially opposed to the plan had grown tired of listening to Aldo whine. This time, I wasn't going to bother arguing with him. I just turned to Desmond. "Inform the troops of what's going on. Then take them out to train, we'll only do a half day of training today so we can start moving things around." Desmond nodded, obediently, and nodded to Jason to come with him. They left at a brisk pace, followed slowly by the elders.

Gia put a confident hand on my shoulder. I glanced down at her. "Don't worry, chief, this is going to be a _very_ good thing. I promise." I smiled and nodded, appreciatively. She gave me a hopeful look. "Please don't dwell on this. Okay?"

I patted the hand she'd placed on my shoulder. "Thank you sweety." With that, Gia grinned and went skipping off, leading the other fledglings.

Daydream giggled and whispered in my ear, "Gia has such a little crush on you."

I rolled my eyes. "I just hope she doesn't die because of me." I looked over at Daydream. "She's so little. Someone could easily…" I refused to finish that sentence. Daydream hugged me and, I noticed over her shoulder, Aldo stared at me with a strange look on his face. I had forgotten he was there. "Aldo, I'd like it if you trained today too." I said it kindly but he took it offensively and stomped away, his crappy shoes slapping the ground the whole way. I turned to David, who was watching Aldo go. "I didn't mean to upset him."

David shook his head. "He's just in a mood because of this whole thing." He turned to me and smiled. "He'll get over it." I noticed something in my friend's eye. He'd really taken a shine to Aldo.

"Well, please tell him later that I meant nothing by it." David nodded then looked at me expectantly. I suddenly noticed that everyone else seemed to be waiting for orders. Oh right, I was the leader. I really needed to get used to that. It had been months. "Alright, I'm going to need supplies quadruple checked and a list made of what we need. Also, someone needs to call Marv and tell him that we're going to be swinging out his way in need of more mattresses, we only have about half of what we're going to need. Do we have enough money?"

David lifted a brow. "Well, Marv does kind of owe us. We took his daughter in."

"Doesn't mean we need to take all of his goods," I sighed, but then quickly added, "although it wouldn't hurt to remind him. Ugh, I'm a terrible person."

"You're just doing what needs to be done to take care of your troops," Kimmy reminded me.

I nodded and sent all of them on their way, staying behind to look out on the training grounds as the troops slowly made their way out. I took a deep breath, trying not to imagine all of them dying. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. He didn't have to speak. I knew it was Erol.

"I think you're doing fine," he whispered into my ear. "Just so you know."

He quickly walked away with those comforting words. I waited until I was sure that he had gone back inside to allow myself to cry. I sat down on the ground, wrapping my arms around my body as if someone else was holding me and let my sobs shake my body violently. In his attempt to reassure me, Erol had made me feel even worse. I felt so alone.


	39. Push

**_*This is more like it.*_**

The days that followed were a struggle, to say the least. Despite the fact that everyone had sworn, under blood oath, to fight for both vampyres and humans who were under the thumb of the Baggers and not to turn against one another, no one seemed to trust one another. It made for…interesting sparring matches. More often than not we had to break up fights between our group and the others. It was horrible and I was out of inspiring speeches to give them. At this point my speeches consisted of "Sit down and shut up!" Although, it worked so I didn't complain.

I should have felt everything that was building up. All emotions were high, on all ends of the spectrum. The couples were insatiable. Jenn and Rosto couldn't keep their hands off each other, Jason and Kimmy blushed every time their fingers brushed, and Jordan and Althea were the brooding couple. It made me sick, although I was glad to see Jordan happy, beneath the brood.

The most surprising thing was when David admitted to me that he and Aldo were a thing. "Are you okay with that?" David asked.

"With what?" He gave me a slighted smile. "With you being gay? Do I seem like the kind of person who cares about that? Because, you're my friend and—"

David burst out laughing. "No, not me being gay," he chuckled, coughing a little from his sudden fit of laughter. "Me being with Aldo. You two…don't really get along."

I took a deep breath and bit my lower lip, trying to force myself to say what I needed to. "Of course I'm okay with it. He's…very smart and- and athletic and…" David gave me a dubious glance. "And, okay I dislike him very much but…you don't. So, what I think doesn't matter. Just so long as you're happy."

He smiled and pulled me into a hug. "I am happy. And you should be too." I pulled back and glared. "C'mon Mari, it wouldn't kill you to get out some of this frustration you clearly have built up."

I stared at him open mouthed. "You'd better not be saying what I think you're saying."

"That you should have a nice rough and tumble to loosen you up? Because that's what I'm saying." I gasped and gave him a playful shove.

I guess I was kind of jealous and annoyed that all these people were thinking about relationships when we had a war to fight. It was unreasonable, I know. I couldn't expect everyone to have tunnel vision like I was trying to do. I just had to remind myself that the mission was what mattered. Then, one day, I filled myself with terror. I thought, just for a moment, that maybe the reason I wasn't getting invested in anyone or thinking about the future after the war was because I expected to die. It was terrifying and I had no one to turn to. All of my friends were caught up in love mania, except for Erol, Connor and Lucas who were simply focused on the fight, which was fine by me. I hadn't even heard from Nyx since December. I was alone.

And yet, I WAS COMPLETLEY SURROUNDED! There were so many people in there. It wasn't as though there wasn't room it just _felt_ like there was no room. I ended up outside more than anything. As we got further into the sprring it became more and more apparent that we were in the desert. It was kind of nice.

Around dusk, in mid May, I stood out on the balcony type area, watching the sky turn colors as the sun finished setting in the west. Diurnal animals scurried back to their homes to avoid nocturnal predators. I saw the orange glow of a coyote's eyes, in the not so far off brush where it was dark, and smiled, remembering the old Native American stories about coyote being the trickster. "Go on coyote," I chuckled. "Get out of here. We don't need your trickery." The coyote let out a soft yelp, probably warning me not to follow, then took off at a moderately quick pace. He wasn't running away, he just didn't want to be here.

"Don't be so sure," a voice said from behind me. "Sometimes the trickster acts in your favor." I turned to see Lucas sauntering toward me, still in the sweat pants and tee shirt he slept in.

I turned back to face the desert view around us. "I've only ever heard bad things about coyote."

Lucas shrugged. "Cautionary tales are the only ones white folk are interested in." I turned to stare at the very white vamp. "My grandfather on my mother's side is Navajo. Don't judge me by my skin, I'd be willing to bet you have some Shoshone in you."

"I wouldn't know," I sighed with a shrug. "I'm adopted."

"Oh right," he chuckled, "I recall Liam telling me about that." I shifted, uncomfortably. Sometimes I could make myself forget his connection to Liam. He was a funny guy and extremely charming, but not in a dangerous way. I was able to make myself forget sometimes why we had feared him. "I'm sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?"

I pulled my shoulders back, trying to seem fine. "No, I just…I don't like thinking about Liam. He put us in great danger."

"Great danger?" Lucas laughed. "He tried to kill you. Just say it. Great danger sounds like he was drinking and driving. He wanted to sacrifice you at an alter." I chuckled and asked who had told him about it. "Erol." He paused. "You know, he still feels terrible about being under Liam's thrall. Are you still mad at him about that or something?"

I squinted over at the strange vamp. "I was never mad…at anyone."

He gave another shrug. "Then I have no idea what that's about. Maybe you should talk to him about it."

"Or I could not."

"That too," Lucas chuckled, giving me a charming smile.

I examined him. "I don't get you. I thought you hated humans."

For the first time, Lucas looked taken aback. "What? Why would you think that?"

"We have a girl here," I said carefully, "who was in a group with you some time back. Said you slaughtered a bunch of humans."

"Jenn said that?" Lucas asked, despite me omitting her name from the story. Jenn had been certain that Lucas hadn't recognized her. "And you believe it?" I opened my mouth to ask what else we were supposed to believe but he quickly cut me off. "Of course you do. People will always believe what they want to."

And with that the vampyre stormed off, back into the building. I was alone again. The growing silence was quickly interrupted by a small yell from below. It almost sounded like the noise the coyote had made. Then I saw them. Men in black outfits coming at our headquarters stealthily. I began screaming for everyone to get on the defensive and pulled one of our fire alarms we had purposed for all emergencies. I could hear people stirring from inside but below I could still hear shouts. People were down there. My people.

I grabbed the switchblade I kept in my pocket and ran for the stairs. Small hands pushed my back and I fell halfway down the stairs. When I looked up I saw Gia going down after being shot in the chest. A bullet meant for me. She looked at me and shouted for me to go. So I did. Men began running at me on the stairs. They were large and fast and strong but I was powered by vengeance. There is nothing more powerful or overwhelming than vengeance. I went down on one knee and, in two quick movements, severed the first man's femoral artery and sliced the second man from hip to hip. They were neutralized, but I wasn't done.

By the time the Sons of Erebus and my other soldiers had assembled I had taken out a dozen men. I'm not proud of it, but I'm grateful I could do it for my troops. They attacked the rest of the men, killing some and chasing some off. I was done, so I ran up to Gia. Azelma, a two hundred year old vamp with an affinity for air, was already holding a cloth against Gia's wound.

"She 'az lost much blood," Azelma cried softly, in her airy French accent.

I nodded to Azelma and began wiping my switchblade clean. Gia looked up at me. "I saw what you did down there, boss," she chuckled, weakly. "I always wondered how you'd fair in battle."

"How'd I do?" I asked calmly, trying not to show how angry I was that she'd been hit.

"As amazing as I'd imagined."

I shook my head and rolled up my sleeve. "You shouldn't have done that. Why in the hell did you take the shot?"

Gia placed her little hand on mine, and I realized my hand had been shaking. "Because without you, this army ain't worth the spit on their boots, and you and I know it."

She coughed, reminding me of her condition and I, without hesitation, dragged the blade across my wrist. "Drink up," I ordered and she, smiling graciously at me, obeyed. I watched her drink, not even looking up when I heard Erol and Desmond come up behind me. "What do we know?" I asked them, switching from the soft tone I'd taken with the fledgling to my commanding General tone.

"Super Baggers," Erol growled, spitting what I could only assume was blood, onto the cement. "David and Jenn were able to identify them by their fighting and barcodes. By the way, Jenn is a scary ass fighter." I chuckled. Why did this not surprise me?

"Aldo, Carmen and a couple of the fledglings had come out early for before breakfast training," Desmond added grimly. "The fledglings were Bagged and Carmen was killed. They would have killed Aldo but he says that they were distracted by you briefly so he was able to get a few blows in." I pressed my lips together and Gia met my gaze from over my arm. She was coming down to join them. On top of everything else, she'd have survivor's guilt. Great. "Mari, they know where we are now," Desmond whispered to me, urgently, as though I hadn't already noticed.

Fine. I had been waiting for…goddess knows what. I had put off the war long enough that they thought they could bring it to me. They wanted to fight us? Fine. "Bring it on," I whispered, to no one in particular.


	40. Lines Drawn

_***This is a little short, sorry. But this is the beginning of the end, just so you all know. Not much is left. :) ***_

Everyone stared at me. Some nodded approvingly and some gaped in terror. I stood at the supervising area of the garage, the only place where all of our troops could be at one time comfortably, and looked down at my army. "We don't have time to wait for the other armies to come to us," I sighed, after a moment of bewildered silence. "I'm going to send them a message, via Lucas, telling them to meet us at an area not far from the main reprogramming facility. That's where it's all going down."

"Alright," Aldo sighed. "I'll be the one to say it. This seems pretty half baked." David shifted uncomfortably next to his boyfriend. "Going after them when we—"

"Excuse me?" I demanded. "Were you not the one urging me to get us in there? Have you not been on my case since day one, when we had only a handful of soldiers and you called me a coward for not mounting an attack? When we had no idea where to hit and your best idea was the White House. Are you not the same Aldo?"

He shook his head. "That was before."

I placed a hand on my hip and glared. "Before what? Before they personally attacked us, killing your best friend, trying to kill me and almost killing Gia?"

"Before I had to fight them," he shouted. Nervous tears danced in his eyes. "Before I realized that they're better than us."

Now I wasn't on the defensive. I saw fear in his eyes. Even if he wasn't my friend's boyfriend, I wouldn't have continued harping on him. "But we _can_ take them on," I gently urged. "I killed a dozen of them and—"

"And you're some sort of god's instrument," Aldo added, returning to his offensive position. "Of course you're going to have more luck."

"You think that was luck?" I growled.

"Yeah, I really do."

David placed a hand on Aldo's arm. "Maybe you should calm down."

Aldo ripped his arm out from under David's grip. "No, goddess, why are you always taking her side?"

"I just don't think we can afford to go to pieces about this," David continued firmly. "They have those fledglings and they have our location. We're in trouble. This is a time to stand firm."

"And group up. Train harder." Aldo turned back to me. "What gives you the right to lead us into certain death?"

"She's our leader," Jason sighed, he'd grown wearier of Aldo than even I had. "By definition she can lead us wherever she damn well pleases."

I understood what Jason meant, but he just fueled Aldo. "Right, so why is she our leader again? Why not Desmond? Or Jason? Hell, why not Jenn or Kimmy? They went through programming. All of them are qualified. Why do we need _her_?" He practically spat the word "her" like it was a foul taste in his mouth.

Gia stood from her chair. At first I had told her that she was confined to her bed until I felt she was better but she…disagreed. Claimed that she wanted to be there for me. So I settled for confining her to a chair, an order which she was now defying. She glared at Aldo from behind her short black hair. "Mari is our leader because she can take all of those things each of those people specializes in and do them well. She's our leader because she has the vision and patience to bring us all together and work with us. To say the least for her, oh I don't know, saving our lives. Even the way you tell it, she made it so you're not dead right now. But I'm gonna let her slide with that mistake." Gia glanced over at me, a sly grin on her face.

"I don't think _everyone_ shares in your love of—"

"Let's put it to a vote," Gia shouted, giving Aldo a dirty look. "Everyone who votes that we follow Mari, raise your hand."

I didn't want to look. Considering how hard I had been on these people and how distant I had been, I was certain they all hated me. I constantly felt alone and like no one would want anything to do with me when they had the opportunity. This was their chance. They could be rid of me. Be led by Desmond. For a moment I almost hoped they would. I could just go hide out in Julian or the farming town next to it Ramona. Or San Diego. I could be a beach dweller. It would hurt to know that I lost their trust and I would feel useless but, I'd get over it. Eventually. Probably. Possibly. Unlikely.

I looked up and almost gasped. It was easier to count the number of people who hadn't raised their hand (fourteen). Most of Lucas's warriors at least followed their leader's lead and voted for me, although a handful didn't. Every elder had their hand raised as well as all of the fledglings that were left. Even Jordan and Althea held their hands high, in sincere confidence. I wanted to cry. I must have been doing something right.

Aldo looked around for his followers and was visibly disappointed. He looked to a girl who usually backed him up. "Meg, why? You've always been in my boat."

Meg shook her head. "Even if I hadn't been blown away by seeing her tear those guys apart, she's leading us _into_ battle, which was all I ever wanted. I'm sorry, sug. We're not in the same boat anymore. You're on a life raft and I'm on the U.S.S. Midway." Meg had been a navy brat. Hence the boat metaphors.

Gia turned to me, staring expectantly into my eyes. "The ayes have it. Now tell us what to do general and we will sure as hell get with doing it." I was about to say thank you when she doubled over in pain, screaming. I rushed to her side but she pushed me away. I could hear her crying and asked her what she needed. She looked up, brilliant blue swirls and runes had appeared across her forehead and her crescent moon was completely filled in. "I'm peachy," she giggled, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

The elders, Daydream and Desmond took Gia off to do whatever the hell they always did when a fledgling made the Change. I was still smiling, proud of her and grateful she had survived to Change, when I turned to face the rest of my soldiers. They stared at me, awaiting my commands.

"Point us where to go, general," Erol announced, staring ahead and pretending not to laugh at me.

I gave him a playful glare, glad that we were on joking terms again, and stood tall. "Alright, this is what we'll do."


	41. Paths

Pretty much no one rested. We all spent the night getting organized and packing our personal belongings. The daytime was dedicated to following through on our plan. Jason took a large group to get some vehicles. We had some cars as well as a retired armored car to transport our weapons. Still, we were going to need more cars if we were ever to get everyone on the road. Desmond had come up with shifts in which warriors would stand watch, protecting us from Baggers and whatever else they might have up their sleeve. The ones designated to drive were given the daytime to sleep so that they could drive through the night.

Everyone else was planning and packing. Packing supplies, weapons, books, whatever we might need to survive the trip and the battle. I was keeping everyone on track but I was feeling the nerves. Were we really cut out for battle? We were about to find out.

"Everyone has been assigned to a vehicle," Logan, one of Lucas's best warriors, informed me, standing at attention. I felt my shoulders pull back instinctually, not to put on my commanding general façade as I had been doing for so long. My shoulders drew back with pride. No longer had I fallen into this position. I had the majority vote. Mind you, the fact that it was me versus Aldo was keeping my ego in check. "To each vehicle a team leader and second in command has been assigned as well, should there be a need. Those are mostly council members plus some warriors who have proven themselves."

"Are you on there?" I asked, my eyebrow cocked. Logan nodded. "Good. I would have complained if you weren't."

He smiled nervously. "I have the charts here, would you like to inspect them?"

"That's fine," I remarked as he handed me the charts. I made sure to give him an approving smile. He seemed moderately anxious. Who wouldn't be nervous as we readied ourselves to head into battle? I glanced at the first page. "Umm…why is Gia my second in command?" I had expected Erol or one of the elders.

Logan suppressed a grin. "She seems to think you will need her to protect you and Master Lucas has always told me not to question a psychic."

"Protect me?"

"Yes," said a voice from behind me. I turned to see Gia with her hip popped out and her hand propped up on it, giving me quite the attitude. "Just because you're all big bad doesn't mean you don't need some help."

I rolled my eyes and turned to face Logan but he was already walking away. _Little coward,_ I thought as he slammed the door to my room behind him. "Gia," I sighed.

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking like a grumpy Tinkerbell. "Mari, if nothing else, you're going to need someone who is hyper aware of the dangers Aldo poses." She had that serious look on her face that Daydream often got when she told me about her visions, except Gia didn't go into a creepy trance which was a nice.

I lowered my voice. "Should I do something? Ask him to leave? Or…" I paused as though at a loss for words but I knew the other course of action. I just despised it. Jason, Erol, Desmond and I had discussed our plans of actions should Aldo prove to be a liability. The men had told me that if he needed to be killed they would do it so no blood was on my hands. It still felt like the blood would be there.

Gia put her hand on my arms, which I had wrapped around myself in worry. "No need for that. I'm watching his path closely. He can still turn it around…possibly." She shook her head sadly. "The roads leading to a happy ending are dwindling. He keeps choosing the ones of anger. They aren't the paths Nyx wants for him that's for sure."

"Right…well, thank you for keeping an eye on him. Don't know what I'd do without you." Her smile brightened. "So then, why aren't you paired with him?" I sighed, turning back to the strategy maps I hadn't packed yet. They looked like they had been printed from a computer. Jenn had drawn them for us from her database. She was exceedingly useful when she wasn't making googly eyes at Rosto.

Gia shrugged a little. "I can sense him from anywhere. I can only protect you if I'm with you."

"Why do _you_ need to protect me?"

Gia smiled. "Haven't you realized yet? You may be unimprintable but…vamps you save from death experience a different kind of imprint with you. They feel the need to protect you and be around you." I thought about Erol and Rosto who hardly trusted other people to go with me to Julian. Even before them vamps I saved had a tendency to feel indebted to me. And that was before the healing properties of my blood had become so powerful. Now it was even easier to see the connection between me and those my blood had saved. Gia looked down at her shoes. "Besides would it be so bad if I got to spend more time with you?"

I sighed and turned to look her in the eyes. Her big brown eyes stared back hopefully. "Gia, look—"

"I know," she chuckled. "I know this one by heart. 'Gia, look, I'm not gay. I'm super flattered that you would think of me that way but, even if I liked girls, you're like…way too young for me.' I've been seeing this conversation since I met you." She grinned.

"You know, it's no fun talking to a psychic," I sighed. "But yes…all of that."

Gia shook her head. "Do you honestly think that I would keep carrying a torch for you if it could never happen between us?" I gave her a funny look. She may not go into a trance like Daydream but she certainly talked in riddles sometimes. "Mari, I can see every possible path that lies before you. You have more choices to make than most people, probably has something to do with the fact that you belong to every god and goddess." She took a step toward me making me feel super uncomfortable. "And in some of those paths…you end up with me."

My eyes widened. "I…what? Seriously?"

She nodded while giggling. She had the most adorable laugh. "Don't get me wrong, there are an equal amount in which you end up with a certain blonde vampyre friend of ours who never stopped loving you." She gave me a pointed look. I looked down at the charts in my hands but all I saw was the expression on Erol's face when I told him and Jordan that I wanted nothing to do with either of them. "Of course, there are some where you end up with Connor and a couple of guys I've never seen before."

A laugh erupted from me. "Connor?" I laughed, thinking of the strange prophet.

Gia watched my face intently as I laughed, waiting for me to stop. "I will stay with you until you pass the very last path that leads to me. I'm not quitting yet. I've loved you since before I met you, when I saw you in my path and learned about the good you had already done. You're stuck with me sweetheart." She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. It wasn't uncomfortable or flirty. It was a very sweet and sincere action. No matter what she was going to be there for me.

She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze before leaving my room. On her way out she passed Jordan who was standing in my doorway. When had the door opened? Had Gia and I really been so engrossed in talking that we hadn't heard the door? Jeeze. Gia nodded to Jordan who grinned back at her. Then he turned his gaze to me.

"Get a nice show?" I growled a little.

"Eh, might have been better if you'd smooched." I threw a wadded up piece of paper at him. Ugh, guys. "She means it though. She intends to stay with you no matter what. And she knows how massively you may screw up. She's devoted."

I stopped pretending like I was looking through my papers and sat on my desk, facing Jordan. "On some level…I know. I'm just worried that she'll…"

"Get hurt?" he suggested. Jordan knew me so well.

"And I don't mean by me. Well, I don't _just_ mean by me. I mean…what if something happens to her?"

Jordan shrugged. "If there are that many paths in which you guys are together…I think that's a pretty good indicator that she's going to live."

I thought about that for a moment and a wave of relief came over me. I jumped off of my desk and hugged Jordan. "Thank you for that!" Jordan laughed and hugged me back. When I let go I was confused. That didn't feel awkward. Shouldn't you feel awkward around an ex?

"It's okay Mari, it's a good thing," Jordan chuckled. "I think…we just suffered an attraction. You were just so passionate. It's a very attractive quality on you."

I smiled. "That makes sense. And you were very…no nonsense and you treated me like a regular person when others were proclaiming me an instrument of Nyx. You grounded me." Jordan grinned and I realized he wasn't the dark and mysterious person I had met who was about to commit suicide by way of Baggers. He was happy. "I like Althea by the way," I added, making him blush. The Jordan I knew didn't blush. It was nice. A little splotchy but still good to see. "You two are great together."

Jordan smiled and gave a relieved sigh. He had been _wanting_ my approval. I was touched. "Oh, right, the reason I came in here. No more of this mushy crap!"

"Sounds good to me," I chuckled.

"Lucas, he would have told you himself but he's exhausted. He managed to contact every leader he knows and all but one are onboard. They're going to meet us at the rendezvous point. Most of them will get there before us but they await our lead. Many of them specifically said they are eager to meet you. Apparently you're coming up in every prophet's visions. You're kind of a big deal."

"Wow," I sighed, feeling excruciatingly overwhelmed. "No pressure right?" A thought suddenly occurred to me. I couldn't tell you why it occurred, but I knew I should follow it. "Jordan, what did you sense in Lucas the night you inspected his intentions? You know, when you made sure he was safe."

Jordan nodded, knowing what I meant. "Oh, he just…he has a thing for you, no shock there. I was just being protective. He still occasionally feels like kissing you or…you know. But right now he's waiting until the war is over." I thought for a moment. Lucas was very attractive. The idea of him had crossed my mind. "I was wondering the same thing," Jordan said, connecting my train of thought. "Why didn't Gia see him as an option? I mean he's as possible as she is or Erol, probably more so than Connor."

I nodded. "You don't suppose he's going to do something to betray us do you? If he hid his intentions purposefully—"

"I don't know." Jordan gave me a hard stare for a moment. "But we'll keep an eye on him. He did take the oath." I nodded. Something about the guy was just…off to me. Something was missing. "Try not to dwell Mari. You've got to look at the big picture. I'll keep my eye on him, you don't need to worry. That's why we have our council."

"Good point," I sighed, chuckling nervously. Jordan handed me a vial. "What's this?"

"You need some rest and Gemma knew you wouldn't be able to do so without some help."

I eyed the blue liquid. Gemma was an elder who was our best healer. "Tell her thank you," I sighed, and downed the whole thing. I was going to need it.


	42. The Fledglings

_***Just a short peep into the Bagged fledgling's perspective.***_

Minerva whimpered both due to the searing pain of her new barcode and the sad loss of her hair. She'd loved her hair. It was long and she kind of used it as a security blanket. Now her hair was like a boy's. Tara stroked Minerva's back as she cried into her lap. She was just glad they had all been kept together. Lin stood, pacing furiously.

"Calm down," Selena told Lin, "you're making me nervous."

Lin stopped pacing and scowled. "_I'm_ making you nervous? The situation should be making you nervous. We've been locked up and tagged like animals!"

"Keep your voice down," Tara warned softly.

"Or what?" Lin demanded, baring her teeth like a feral cat. "What could be worse than this?"

Minerva lifted her head, tears streaming down her dark face. "They could kill you. Then what?"

Lin's face softened a little. "At least I'd go down fighting." Lin touched her short hair, remembering how her mother used to braid her hair before school and sing to her in Cantonese. She began humming one of those songs because she couldn't remember the words. She had dropped out of "Chinese School" when she was little. It was too rigid. She always felt trapped. Much like now…

"We'll be fine," Selena sighed, trying to convince the others and herself. "We're just buying time until they come get us." Lin glared. "What?"

"What makes you think they'll come get us?" Lin sighed, shaking her head. It was easier to be angry than to let herself cry.

Selena pulled her shoulders back. "Because I have faith in both Nyx and Miss Mari."

Lin scoffed. "Why would Mari come get us? She's been so content to just sit there and 'train'. She's known where this was and what was going on for a while. How does this change anything?"

Tara smiled, suddenly filled with hope. "This was meant to happen." Lin and Selena turned to stare and Minerva looked up from her lap. "What better way to light a fire under their asses? Mari just had no confidence in herself. I would stand outside of her room sometimes and hear her cry."

Selena nodded. She'd seen the worry in their leader's face too. "She's been afraid that her rash actions would get us killed. She watches everyone train and looks like she's waiting for a meteor to hit us all."

"And look where her 'concern' got us," Lin growled. She refused to get her hopes up. What if she was disappointed?

"And now she will be concerned that we're stuck out here," Selena reminded her with a cautioning glare. Lin had learned early on that it was bad to make Selena mad. "She's not selfish, her concern has always been for others. Now she'll leap into action."

Minerva stared at Selena. "Do you think?"

Selena gave a brave smile. "I know it. They're going to save us." She turned to stare out of the thick glass that served as their door and stared down the hall filled with hundreds of other fledglings. Beyond that hall was the common area which connected to the PC hall, the spy hall and the ultimate Bagger hall, where thousands of others were being kept. "They're going to save us," she repeated, quietly. "They have to."


	43. Just Panicking

_***Pretty long but I really like this chapter. Oh…also...warning mild sexual content. Lol. It's me so…not exactly porn! But yeah, enjoy!***_

The tonic only kept me asleep for a few hours, but it was all I needed. I had to admit though, I was a little disappointed. I was preparing my troops to move into battle. I had hoped Nyx would make an appearance. Was it so much to ask? I hadn't even felt her guiding me. I felt like I was on my own out there.

When we got everything out of the building, every vamp with an affinity for earth circled the building and closed the entrances up with the mountain itself. If the Baggers came back they would be in for a serious surprise. By about 3pm we were all out on the road, on our different routes. Jenn, in all her computer type glory, had figured out a different route for each vehicle. Many times the routes crossed. It was actually quite brilliant. No one could have guessed that we were all heading for the same location. Unfortunately, we had to split up to keep suspicion low and our people scattered. If we were all together we could be wiped out in one fell swoop. Apart they could only take us out a little at a time. We still had a chance to save our fledglings, at least.

Gia and my route took us across the bottom part of both Arizona and New Mexico first. It felt like we were grazing the border of Mexico. Ours was possibly the hottest route but felt easier to me than those who had to go as far north as the Dakotas. Still, I felt unbearably far away from the people I had been with constantly since meeting them. Daydream and Desmond had a route across the middle states; Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, etc. That was probably the worst. I felt like a kid on the first day of kindergarten. I had come to rely on those two greatly and now I had to do without them. I was kind of panic stricken as we headed out. I think Gia could sense it because she just patted my hand, which was white knuckling the steering wheel, and turned on some music. She also reminded me constantly that I could call Daydream whenever I wanted thanks to the secure cell phones Jenn had managed to rig up for us the first week she was with us. That girl was all kinds of useful. She was like a Swiss Army Knife.

Our route was actually kind of gorgeous and we managed to make great time. We didn't stop until 12am when we came upon a quaint motel on the edge of New Mexico and Texas. Unfortunately we had to adjust our sleeping schedules but it was worth it.

Much to my surprise I ended up getting to know a lot about Gia. She had grown up in a little family owned ranch in New Mexico and secretly missed the heat of the sun. It was a pity she'd become a vampyre. I hardly noticed the nearly a dozen people in the back of the van because I was so engrossed in talking to Gia. Don't get me wrong, I still couldn't FATHOM being in love with her but I could see her being a great friend. I didn't even mind sharing a bed with her. (There was only one unoccupied room so all thirteen of us had to share a really small room. The bed was tiny so we were the only ones who could fit. Everyone else slept on the floor and little couch.)

The second day we got an early start, way too early for my taste but Gia treated all of us to coffee and doughnuts so we couldn't complain much. After the attack that I had suffered going through Texas the first time we decided we wanted to spend as little time there as possible. In other words, I was NOT spending the night there. True, it had only been in Wichita Falls yet I couldn't help but connect the two. For nearly nineteen hours straight we drove, along the coast when we could to avoid the major cities like Houston. We could have stopped on the edge of Louisiana and shaved four hours off of our trip, but Gia really wanted to stop in New Orleans. It was partly because she'd always wanted to visit but it was also partly because we could meet up with two other groups there. No one else wanted to go to New Orleans but…well Gia just kept doing this sad puppy dog face. Don't judge, she could be extremely manipulative.

Somehow we managed to find the cheapest hotel possible in the French Quarter with enough room for us. However, after NINETEEN HOURS nobody really felt like being cooped up in a hotel room. Go figure huh?

"You sure you don't want to come stretch your legs?" Gia begged, literally tugging on my sleeve.

"I'm sure," I chuckled. "Go on and have some fun while you can."

Gia made a face. "What have I told you about that fatalistic view of the battle?"

"That's it's unhealthy and completely uncalled for," I groaned.

"Good girl," she giggled, patting my head. She inhaled, closing her eyes, then gave me a final pleading look. "You _sure_ you won't come? We can get some great food."

I shook my head. "I'm too nervous to be around people." I kissed her on the forehead. "Go. Enjoy. Tell me all about it." She forced a smile and then walked sulkily out of the room. For someone who was begging me to come here she was awful sullen all of the sudden.

Not too long after Gia left there was a knock on the door. I froze for a moment. Who the hell could that be? _It's just Gia,_ I told myself. _She's come to beg me to join her. That girl is ridiculous._ Mind you I thought this as I flicked my switchblade out and hid it behind my back. I took a breath and opened the door only to find that it was Erol. "Hey there stranger," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

I sighed in relief. "Oh Erol, it's just you. Come in." Gia neglected to tell me that Erol's team was one of the ones in New Orleans.

Erol saw my switchblade as he entered and I shut the door. "Wow…you really know how to make a guy feel welcome."

I closed the switchblade and tossed it onto the bed. "I'm jumpy, alright?"

"I could have guessed as much," Erol chuckled, enjoying this far too much.

"Well how do you expect me to feel? I'm kind of terrified."

Erol's face softened and he wrapped his arms around me, for the first time in a good long while. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make fun of you."

"Yes you did," I sniffled into his chest.

He laughed. "Alright, I did. But you know that's just who I am. It's why you…" He pulled away from the hug and gave me a nervous smile. "So I heard from Daydream and Desmond moments ago," he sighed, clearing his throat.

"Oh?" Why couldn't things stop being awkward between Erol and me like they had with Jordan?

"Yeah, all of us in the original group are in the south. You know; Jason, Kimmy, Rosto, Jordan, Daydream, Desmond, David, you and myself. So Daydream has requested we all meet back in the tunnels before heading to the far north."

I raised my eyebrows. "She wants to go back to Paris?" I asked, mouth agape. I mean I liked the tunnels, I felt safe there, but the last time we'd been in Paris was not so great. We'd caused a lot of ruckus with Liam's little ceremony.

Erol nodded. "Yep, and you know the rule. Don't question Daydream." I rolled my eyes and laughed. "You okay Mari?" he asked. When I gave him a questioning stare he pointed to my arms which I had wrapped around my stomach like a security blanket.

I unwrapped my arms and began to pace the room. "Yeah, I'm fine I'm just…fine." I tried to laugh but it was really hard. I was panicking.

Erol stopped my pacing by grabbing onto my shoulders and forcing me to look at him. "Mari, it's okay to be scared. It's not okay to lose your head about it. You're our leader for cripes sake."

"As your leader," I growled, trying not to cry, "I got those girls Bagged and Carmen killed."

"And worse things could have happened," Erol countered, searching my face. "Goddess Mari, you've been so brave and you've always had such a clear idea of what we needed to do to win. Now you just have to buckle down and follow through with it!"

He stared at me for another moment. His beautiful blue eyes were just so certain. For a moment I became terrified that he would die in battle and I'd never see that look again. So I kissed him. At first he was confused and unsure but that only lasted for a second, if even that long. Then he kissed me back wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to him. With every moment that our lips and skin touched I felt less scared. It was so freeing. He pulled away for a moment to look into my eyes like he was making sure he wasn't imagining this or doing something I didn't want. I think I answered that when I took my shirt off and pulled him in close.

This was different from when we'd first kissed back in the tunnels. Aside from the fact that I wasn't in a relationship with Jordan anymore, it wasn't his vamp mojo doing it to me. I was in control. I was wanting him. Later I thought back to what Gia had said about my blood causing an imprint of sorts and considered the idea that I may have been controlling him, but at the moment I didn't particularly care. I laid back on the bed and pulled him on top of me, tugging at his belt.

He was kissing my neck when the thought occurred to me. What if this was my last chance to be with him? I realized that this was the fear propelling me. I groaned when I realized what was going on. "Erol," I sighed, not quite sure how to verbalize what was going on.

Erol looked at me with a smile on his face until he saw my expression. He collapsed so his face was on my shoulder. "You're not going to tell me that you're secretly dating Jordan this time are you?"

I chuckled despite myself and kissed his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know we've done this scene before it's just…Erol, honey you're going to have to stop kissing me."

He continued kissing my neck and shoulder anyway. "Why this time?" he asked my flesh.

I smiled girlishly. How he could go from seductive to funny in two seconds flat I could never figure out. "It's not that I don't want to—"

"Great," he chuckled, kissing along my collar bone and the top of my breast.

"It's just…I'm just panicking." He looked up at me. "I'm being propelled by 'what if's and…"

Erol sat up between my legs. "And that's possibly the worst reason to do something like this ever." He nodded in understanding. "Okay…I can wait."

I propped myself up on my elbows and stared at him. "You can?"

He looked at me from beneath his sandy hair. "Of course I can, you're incredibly worth it." He leaned down and kissed me deeply. "Besides," he sighed, doing up his pants, "it's not like I'm just trying to sleep with you. I'm kind of unreasonably in love with you."

I sat up and kissed him. "I changed my mind," I said, in between kisses. "I want to do this."

Erol pulled away laughing. "No, no, no missy. I'm not so easy. I need to be properly wooed." I fell back on the bed and made frustrated groans. He just kept laughing and tossed my shirt onto my face. I removed it and glared at him playfully. "I plan on living, Mari. There will be plenty of time for this then."

"I hate you," I sighed, dramatically, and turned over onto my stomach.

He climbed up beside me on the bed and whispered in my ear. " 'You mean like…sex? The hell with this, I'm gonna live.' " He kissed my cheek and jumped to his feet. When I looked at him he was next to the door. "Name that Whedon, Mari. Name it and _maybe_ we'll do this again someday."

I stood up and walked over to the door. "Kaylee to Simon in the Firefly movie, _Serenity_."

"Exactly," he chuckled, opening the door and walking out. He stuck his head back in the door. "And look at how that worked out for them." He kissed me once more. "Remember, we're going to the tunnels. It's only like nine hours away." I groaned and he, with a sadistic smile, left.

I leaned against the door for a moment, trying to collect myself. "Way to go Mari," I sighed, recalling David's advice to have a little "rough and tumble" to get rid of my excess energy. It probably would have helped. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," I scolded, walking across the room.

I went to the bathroom to wash my face and cool down. As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom Gia burst into the room. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she realized I had no shirt on. She blushed and looked away while I quickly put it on. "Gia, what are you doing here? I thought you went to enjoy….DID SOMETHING HAPPEN?" I rushed over to her.

"No," she sighed, "nothing happened." She looked around the room. "What's going on here? I saw Erol leave the room and—"

I raised a single brow. "You saw him leave? You were watching the room?"

Gia stared at me for a second, frozen, then turned to walk around the room. "I…I knew he was going to come. I saw you guys getting ready to…" She had her back to me.

"You _saw_ us…as in you saw it in our paths." She nodded, still not facing me. "Then you didn't watch it all, did you?"

Gia spun around. "Of course I didn't watch it all. I don't want to see…" She paused, my words catching up to her. "You guys…you didn't have sex did you?" I shook my head and Gia turned beet red.

"I thought you were going to go see New Orleans," I sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I was hanging out with these local girls across the street. They said it was the best place to get crawfish. I wanted to be as far from here as possible," she replied, sitting down next to me.

I looked over at her. "Then why did you storm over here?"

"I got worried that…he'd hurt you or something had been wrong…" She stared down at her lap.

I sighed and faced forward. "I told him that it wouldn't be right if we slept together and he agreed." Gia turned to face me. "I was just…panicking."

"Panicking?" she asked, pulling her legs up onto the bed so she faced me, cross legged.

"Yes," I chuckled. "I'm really scared right now, Gia. More than anything I'm scared that I'll lose the people I love. It makes me do stupid things because I'm afraid I'll never have the chance to again. Like…what if something happens to you? What if I never get to talk to you again or see you laugh?"

"Or have sex with Erol," Gia suggested.

"Such as, yes. But I can't just rush things because I'm fearful of what little time we all may have. Then if something did happen to you or Erol or me then…then it would have been a sad, desperate thing. Not something wonderful like it should have been. Ugh, I'm confusing myself."

"No," Gia sighed, "you're making perfect sense." She hugged my shoulders. "But, just so you know, you shouldn't worry about Erol or me. Or you for that matter. We have the greatest chance of living."

I pulled away and turned to face her. "Wait…so you know who will die?"

Gia tilted her head. "Who _might_ die. You know nothing is set in stone."

"Yeah but still, couldn't you just tell me—"

"Mari," she sighed, sadly. "Do you honestly want me to tell you who is going to die?" I thought for a moment then seized in terror and shook my head. "Didn't think so."

We sat there for a moment in silence. "So," I sighed, finally, "are those girls the reason you consumed a large quantity of bourbon?" I gave Gia a stern look.

"What?" she gasped, staring at me as though she was offended by the implication.

I pursed my lips. "Your breath reeks of it. Trust me, it's my grandfather's favorite drink. I'd recognize it anywhere." Gia gave me a sheepish grin. "How much did you have? You could light your breath on fire!"

"Just a…lot." I stared. "Like…enough so I feel fairly tipsy." I repressed a disappointed sigh. "Mari, I thought you were in here having sex with Erol. How would you deal with the person you love doing that?" I felt my face soften. Alright, I could understand I guess. "Now, wait here while I get the rest of the alcohol. Then you and I will indulge in the least healthy form of panicking. Drinking!"

_***Oh and, disclaimer, I do not condone underage drinking. I mean…just be safe kids! :-\ ***_


	44. Back to Where We Began

_***So this is twice as long as the ones I normally write. Sorry. It would have been two chapters if I had been able to log into fanfiction at all this weekend. Whatever. They fixed it. So yeah...enjoy?***_

Eight hours is a long time to drive with a hangover. Gia, being a vampyre, didn't have a hangover even though she drank four times as much as me and got drunk enough that she stood on the bed to sing, badly, and dance for everyone (the rest of our group had returned in time to see their group leaders acting like drunken morons). Gia drove to Paris because she was damn chipper after a night of drinking. I sat in the front seat, trying not to vomit and nursing a pounding headache. Occasionally I told her how much I hated her but she seemed to think it was funny. She had an odd sense of humor that one.

By the time we got to Paris though I was feeling better, which is good because we arrived in time for a serious storm. Thunder boomed, lightning lit up the sky and we were pelted by large raindrops and hail. On the plus side, this made it easy to sneak into the tunnels unnoticed. We got there at 5pm so the sun was close to setting but the darkness of the cloud covering certainly helped. That and the fact that the rain scared everyone away.

"Oh wow," Gia gasped, staring at the little Eiffel Tower as we headed for the tunnels. "You were serious."

"About what?"

"About the little Eiffel Tower. I thought you guys were kidding." A couple of the others nodded in agreement.

I glanced around before lifting the hatch. It had rusted a little in our absence and made a truly depressing squeaking noise. Everyone filed in before me and I yanked the hatch closed. It had never been so difficult to close before. I led my team through the tunnels. I could not for the life of me understand how I had done this when I didn't know where I was going. It was so dark and pipes stuck out of the floor, walls and ceiling. Somewhere deep down I felt a little more certain that I had been guided there by Nyx.

We turned the corner and opened the door to the common area. It was all the same. We had left all of the furniture and a few of the books on the bookshelf. Things were a little dusty but it was all the same. Erol, Desmond and Daydream were all exactly where they had been the very first time I had walked into the tunnels. But this time I wasn't met with hostility. Desmond grinned, excited to see me, Erol winked at me and Daydream ran to hug me.

When Daydream finally let me go I turned to Erol. "How did you get here before us?"

Erol shrugged. "We left at 6am. We've been here for three hours. What took you so long?"

I gave him a playful glare. "Some of us got to sleep later than others." The members of my group snickered. "Shut up," I warned, over my shoulder. Their snickering only quieted a little. It was good to know I struck fear into the hearts of my soldiers, not.

"Where are we sleeping?" asked Marco, a warrior of Lucas's who was in my group. He stood at attention, addressing both Daydream and Desmond. He had been in military school when his Mark showed up so he was a natural soldier at this point.

Desmond shrugged. "Everyone is just bunking in whatever room is available."

Daydream hugged his arm. "Although we're allowing couples to have their privacy. You know, us, Jordan and Althea, Rosto and Jenn, David and Aldo, and, much to no one's surprise, Jason and Kimmy." Daydream batted her eyelashes at me, as if there was a question about whether or not I needed privacy. It was then that I became aware of Erol and Gia's eyes burning into me.

"Fine," I sighed, pretending I hadn't noticed them. "My team can come sleep in my room if they want." I could tell that Gia and Erol were making faces but I ignored them

Jason laughed loudly from the entrance to the tunnel that led to our rooms. Everyone turned to stare. "Sorry," he laughed, trying to clear his throat. "That was just exceedingly awkward. Can I see it again?" I glared at Jason but, in truth, I felt safer knowing he was there.

"Hey Jason," Desmond called. "Care to tell us in detail about your relationship with our little priestess?" Jason's cheeks turned red. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Desmond turned to me and gave me a wink making me smile. I had missed my big brother. "Why don't you guys go put your stuff down in a room or two?" he nodded to the bags we had in our arms. We refused to leave things in the car. My team was super paranoid about being without their weapons. I liked that about them. "Some of them can be in Liam's room since your room is pretty small."

I kind of froze. I didn't mean to, it just happened. Thankfully, Jason of all people saw my hesitation. "I'll show them to Liam's room," he interjected, not looking at me. "Mari can just show some of them to her room. They're on opposite ends of the hall. It would be a waste of time and energy. Two things we're short of."

Jason refused to look at me but I knew he'd done it for my benefit. Jason liked me! He cared about me…somewhere deep down beneath that seriously cranky exterior. Deep, deep down. Well, _I_ knew it was there and that's what counted. "Sure," I sighed, trying REALLY hard to pretend I hadn't noticed Jason's act of kindness.

Gia broke the team into two groups. Sometimes I got the feeling that I was only there as a figure head. My little second in command seemed to make all of the decisions. Although, I didn't mind. Eight people went to put their things down in Liam's old room while I showed Gia and the remaining three to my old room. I pointed out where the showers were but didn't dare venture over there. I felt like Liam still lurked in the shadows over there, waiting to jump me again. Of course I knew it was irrational but…that's the thing about fear, it overrides your sense of logic.

The three girls left their things in my old room and left for the showers. I just looked around. Was this really my room? I saw the ceremonial dress I had worn on Halloween. I left it on my mattress without washing it and the blood on the sleeves from when I'd had Jordan cut me had turned brown from exposure to oxygen.

I tried to replay the events that had happened in this room. The good ones. I just wanted to feel like this was my room still. I wanted to feel safe inside the earth as I had once before. Gia stood at my side and, after a few minutes of staring at the empty room with me, in silence, she sighed, "So this is where you and Jordan slept together. Wow."

I gave her a wide eyed stare. "Yes, that is exactly the worst thing you could have said," I chuckled. Anyone else saying that would have annoyed me. When Gia said it...it was funny. Clearly she had poisoned my sense of humor. That horrible little girl.

Gia shrugged, clearly proud that she had made me laugh. "I thought it was a good thing to remember. Why? Was sex with Jordan bad?" She gave me a mock hopeful look.

I grinned. "Oh yes. Absolutely terrible."

"I'm so sure," Gia laughed, punching my arm. At least she was alright talking about my past relationships. It was kind of hard not being able to tell her everything about my encounter with Erol in New Orleans. I liked telling her about everything that happened to me. Almost in the same way I did with Daydream but there was a different joy to it. "What's wrong, Mari?" she asked, when I continued to stare at the room.

I shook my head and gave a heavy sigh. "It all feels different. This place used to be a sort of safe haven. Now…it feels sad." I turned to Gia, assuming I'd see a confused expression or something. She just gave me a thoughtful look. "It's like…the place knows we abandoned it. It feels hurt and lonely. There used to be this loving embrace I'd get by simply walking through the front door but now…" I stared down at the ground. If I hadn't confused Gia I had certainly confused myself.

A warm hand rested on my shoulder. "I don't think it's the tunnels that feel that way." I looked up from the floor and into Gia's comforting brown eyes. "I think…I think something has changed in you. And it isn't a bad thing but…change is hard to accept sometimes." She gave me a big smile. "But change is good." She hugged me tightly and I had no choice but to hug her back. Maybe she was right maybe she was wrong. But she had made me feel better for the moment. She turned to the bed. "Okay, now I've got to ask…what's up with the bloody gown?"

Gia and I chilled in my room for a while sharing stories. She quickly realized that I wasn't entirely capable of talking about the tunnels so she directed the conversation toward happier subjects. Somehow she got me going on about high school, which I NEVER talked about. She even got me to talk about life after this whole war was over.

"What will you do?" Gia asked, sitting on my bed while I sat on the floor and she played with my hair. For someone who kept her hair pretty short she LOVED playing with longer hair.

I shrugged. "I'd like to continue writing. Maybe I could write about the things I've seen throughout this whole ordeal. Or maybe…" I paused.

Gia pulled her fingers through my hair. "Or what?"

"Or maybe I'm supposed to continue to help. You know, find those bound to the other gods I am also bound to." Gia hmmmed, continuing to play with my hair. "Wait a minute," I chuckled. "What _am_ I supposed to do? You're the one who can see my path."

Gia chuckled knowingly. She knew I was going to ask that. Conversations with psychics could be so annoying sometimes. "It really depends on how this battle goes. Besides, I want to hear what you _want_ to do. Not what you _have_ to do."

I stopped Gia from playing with my hair and turned around on my knees to face her. She smiled down at me and, for a moment, seemed so much older and wiser than I. "Can't you tell me anything? Who is going live? What I need to do?"

She touched the side of my face. "You will do the right thing. I'm certain of it. There's very little chance of you being wrong in this instance."

I bit my lip, refraining from telling her how tiring her riddles were. "Then…at least tell me who will live." Gia gave me an exasperated sigh. "Does Daydream live at least."

Gia stiffened a little. "I'm forbidden from telling you anything about Daydream for now." I had never seen Gia go stiff before. Her normally smiling mouth and full lips somehow managed to form a tight, thin line.

"Forbidden by whom?" I asked carefully.

She smiled and raised a brow. "Who do you think?" Nyx…figured. Gia held my face with both hands. "Try not to worry so much. I know it's easier said than done but you aren't even trying."

I opened my mouth to demand that Gia speak sensibly, you know like a human being, when Daydream showed up in the doorway. "Come on you guys, everyone is here so Kimmy is calling a meeting."

"_Kimmy_ is calling a meeting?" I asked, raising a brow. I thought calling a meeting was my job.

Daydream nodded. "She feels it's needed. C'mon." She locked eyes with Gia who nodded and pulled me to my feet. Great, the psychics were working together. I was kind of annoyed by their natural connection. Not jealous, just annoyed…at least I was pretty sure.

The common area was dimly lit by candles around the room and everyone seemed respectfully somber. I glanced around at the large gathering of vampyres, David and I were the only humans. I glanced around and saw that Lucas had arrived too. He gave me a warm smile, which was nice considering the last real conversation we had had involved me accusing him of mass murder. When Kimmy spotted me she came over, a serene smile on her face.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Kimmy cleared her throat and everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. "We are on the brink of battle. We know it. We can feel it. It is breathing down our necks. So Daydream and I thought, what better time to cast a circle and call upon our goddess? And what better place to do so than the place where this all began?" She gestured to the crowded common area and, for the first time since we'd arrived, the place felt alive again. Like it had a purpose once more. "Come, let us prepare ourselves."

The vampyres began forming a circle and David drifted over to me. We were out of place. "David and I will just go get out of the way," I whispered to Kimmy.

As we turned to leave she grabbed our arms. "Like hell you are," she scolded. "You two may not be vamps but you still do Nyx's work. You are both extremely important to this entire thing. Therefore, you are extremely important to this circle." David and I exchanged a look and then nodded. Kimmy smiled and turned to the rest of the vamps. She handed a green candle to Rosto. "You will summon earth."

"Well duh," he scoffed at his cousin, taking his position to the north, near the front door.

Kimmy grinned then handed a yellow candle to Lucas. "Seeing as how you blew into our lives, it's only right that you represent air." Lucas nodded, obediently, and went to stand in the east, by the kitchen.

Kimmy looked to Desmond with a red candle. "Me?" Desmond asked, suddenly seeming a little nervous. I'd never seen him nervous before. "But, there are vampyres here with an affinity for fire. One of them should—"

"And yet, I have chosen you," Kimmy sighed, matter-of-factly. "You are the passion that drives us. Fire is raw energy which, deep inside, is what you are. But it takes someone very powerful to control the fire within. You do so, very well. So, you will be representing fire. Now stop arguing with me." She handed Desmond the candle. He stared at it for a moment. It was like he was seeing himself through our eyes for the first time. He smiled and bowed to our priestess before standing in the south, by the tunnel that led to our rooms. Kimmy only had to look at Daydream while holding the blue candle and Daydream skipped over to take it. "Daydream will be our representative of water, since she is connected to the flow of our lives and Nyx's plan. She doesn't fight it but rather senses where it will take us." Daydream stood in the west, by the bookshelves, with her chin held high. Everyone else moved to fill in the spaces in the circle, including David and me. Kimmy grabbed my arm and pulled me to the center of the circle. "No, no Mari. You will be our spirit," she sighed, handing me a purple candle.

I stared at the candle then glanced at the people around me. No one else seemed to find this strange. "Kimmy," I whispered. "I'm honored, really. But I'm not a vamp. It wouldn't be right."

"No," Kimmy scoffed. "You aren't a vampyre. You just belong to every god. You just have a direct link to Nyx. You were just sent to us by the goddess herself. You just moved us forward, brought us together and gave us something to fight for. You're right, you don't belong in this circle." She lifted an eyebrow and pursed her lips. "Are you done arguing with me now?" I smiled and nodded. "Good."

Kimmy faced the members of her circle. She shone with powerful beauty and elegance. She was not the little girl who had shown up in this very room, unable to stand on her own. Her red hair ruffled in a nonexistent breeze. "Merry meet, my fellow soldiers." Everyone repeated merry meet back to her. She approached Lucas with a fireplace match. "Air, you give us life, you lift us high, come to us now air. Blow at our backs, pushing us forward." She lit the yellow candle. I know it sounds strange but at that moment, I saw air come to the circle. I don't mean that I felt it presence, I mean I saw the magic appear in the circle. Glowing wisps of yellow energy began circling Lucas as he held the burning candle.

"Fire," Kimmy called, facing Desmond. "You light the way and burn inside us all. You warm those who treat you kindly and burn those who would seek _control_ over you. Please, come to us fire and let us feel your warmth." Again, as the candle lit I saw the magic enter the circle. The red and orange energy that circled Desmond moved like tribal dancers around a ceremonial fire. They were beautiful and frightening. "Water," she cried, moving along the circle to Daydream. "You cool us, you sustain us, you are a part of our very being. Water, please come to us that we may feel refreshed and better able to move forward." Water joined the circle and revolved joyously around Daydream. Kimmy faced her cousin who made a goofy face before looking somber. "Earth, you are our everything. You have been our safe place in these tunnels and you have helped us hold onto what is real. Come to us earth. Please keep us grounded as we face the ensuing battle." Earth came to the circle even more powerful than the others. Its green energy sat close to Rosto, seeming to caress him.

Finally Kimmy turned to me. "Spirit," she said, looking into my eyes. "You have been all around us whether we knew it or not. Spirit, please help us move forward and know what is right. Come to us spirit, grant us the pleasure of your presence." She lit the candle in my hand and spirit entered the circle. It surrounded me, pulling playfully at my hair and seeming to almost smile at me. The circle was cast and Kimmy began a prayer to Nyx while Althea danced in the circle. I heard Kimmy's words as she prayed for protection and guidance. But they were lost on me.

I watched the energies, now that the circle was complete, as they mixed and mingled in the circle. Getting my attention. Spirit took center stage. Spirit broke into bits and began sitting in front of different people in the circle. Some went to Lucas and some struggled through earth to get to Rosto. Spirit sat in front of people and ceased to move. Spirit was done telling me what it wanted to tell me. Next water moved. Water flowed making a web between me and a few of the vampyres, including Kimmy, Jason, Desmond and Daydream. Water still hung in the air but had stopped moving. It was finished speaking. Next fire swirled over to David and Aldo. It circled them like an angry swarm then died down. Fire was done. Finally, earth and air mixed and mingled around Erol and Gia.

I looked around at the energy that lay before me like a map. I memorized it.

Kimmy closed the circle and each of the elements seemed to bid me farewell as they departed. "Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again," Kimmy sighed calmly.

The entire circle dissolved, looking renewed. But I stood where Kimmy had put me. Gia and Erol came to me, looking concerned. "You okay love?" Erol asked, nervously.

"Yeah, you didn't seem like you were there at all during the circle," Gia added.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around my waist. "I don't know. I…I saw the elements being called." Erol and Gia, not so discretely, exchanged a doubtful glance. "I was as confused as you guys. But it formed…kind of like a map. Energies connected to different people…oh you probably think I'm crazy."

Gia shook my hand. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Gia and I see people's lives as maps." I chuckled. I forgot who I was talking to.

Erol gave me a funny look. "I already knew you were crazy. I didn't need proof." I hit his shoulder and he laughed. "So what do you think it meant?"

I shook my head. "I don't know…but I'm not sure I want to."


	45. Empty Places

I couldn't sleep that night. Well…not night. Day. We decided that it was too risky to leave in the daylight as we had all been doing since leaving California so we slept during the day. At least, some of us did. Instead of sleeping, I sat in the common area. When I got out there Jason and Jordan were already up, playing chess to keep busy, and Daydream was eating the cookies Jenn had bought on their way to Paris. Eventually all of us, meaning the original group, made it to the common area. Erol, Desmond, Rosto, David and Kimmy each sauntered in within minutes of one another.

"It feels like so long ago since we were all here," Kimmy sighed, wistfully.

Rosto sighed, shaking his head. "It doesn't even seem like the same place." Jordan and I voiced our agreement.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, tearing himself away from the game in which Erol was kicking his ass.

"I can't explain it," Rosto groaned. "It's like…"

"It feels entirely different," I supplemented. "It used to be this place where we all felt safe. It was like a security blanket. Now it feels…"

"Raw," Jordan continued. "Exposed. Empty. It's not the safe haven we left." Jordan, Rosto and I exchanged a look. We were on the same page. I found it funny that Jordan used the same phrase I had used earlier with Gia. "Safe haven".

Desmond stared at us, sagely, from the recliner in the corner of the room.  
"_A young man goes to Paris,  
As every young man should.  
There's something in the air of France  
That does a young man good.  
Paris nights are warm and fair,  
The summer winds are soft.  
A young man finds the face of love  
In every field and loft.  
An old man __**returns**__ to Paris,  
As every old man must.  
He finds the winter winds blow cold.  
His dreams have turned to dust._"

Erol nodded, approvingly. "Nice, is that, like, Keats or something?"

Desmond shook his head. "No, it's a song from the 60s. I just took out the chorus."

"I think," Daydream sighed, putting a hand on her mate's shoulder, "what he meant was that, it isn't the place that has changed. It's us."

David shook his head. "Nothing has changed about us. We're pretty much the same. It hasn't been that long."

Kimmy smiled knowingly. "And yet, we have changed. When all of us came here, we did so looking for a place to hide." She looked down as she played with the fabric of the couch her cousin had once laid on, bleeding to death. "We aren't hiding anymore. We're marching into battle." She looked directly at me. "Even when we were in the facility in California we weren't hiding anymore. No, we didn't want to be found by Baggers or anything but we were actively seeking soldiers." She chuckled softly. Then looked to all of us. "Let's face it guys, we've changed immensely since the day we became a family."

Rosto made gagging noises after a few moments of meaningful silence. "Poke fun all you want," Daydream laughed. "You know that's how you feel too." She pinched his cheek. "We're your family young man!"

David shook his head and sighed. "I just hope this is all worth it." Everyone slowly turned to look at him. "I mean…I hope we aren't just rushing in. I hope this battle isn't for naught."

Erol scoffed. "Is your boyfriend getting to you? You know this means finding your brother too. You'd think you'd be happy."

David sent Erol a flustered glare. I walked up to David and held his hands. "What's bothering you? Other than Erol?"

He smiled a little. "Maybe Aldo is getting to me it's just…I find myself more and more afraid that we're going to attack, everybody is going to die and we'll have done nothing good."

"Even if we do die," Jason spoke up, "we will have done something. Do you know how many rebellions led up to the American Revolution? Each rebellion is credited with putting more wood on the fire. If a rebellion as large as ours fails then it will upset the balance of this country. Of the world." Jason smiled proudly. "If we die, we will not have failed. I can guarantee it." Jason was not a man of many words but when he spoke it was worth it.

"I wish I could have your faith," David sighed, angrily.

I touched David's cheek. "I think you could but you aren't trying."

David pushed me away. "And who are you to talk, Mari? You've been fearful of this the entire time." His voice was angry but I saw the tears in his eyes. He knew he was just lashing out. He knew he was just trying to hurt me. "How can you talk about faith and meaning? You were so scared that we were going to fail that you hurt the two men who loved you! You've kept all of us at a distance. You're more scared than all of us combined."

"I'm sorry?" I growled. "Would you rather I confessed every little fear I have? My fears aren't fears. They are concerns. I am in charge of leading these people into battle. Many will die. I _have_ to be concerned. If I'm not, then I'm not much of a leader." I kept my voice low but my tone commanding. I already had Aldo for this. I didn't need David to do it too.

"What kind of leader points her army towards a battle that she is fearful of?" David demanded. "What kind of a leader goes into a battle that she has no idea if they can win or even survive?"

Erol, Desmond and Rosto all stood and shouted, "That's enough!" Desmond continued. "If you have no faith in our leader and our cause then maybe you and Aldo should leave."

David glared at the three men who stood angrily before him. I was the only one close enough to see the tears waiting to fall from his eyes. These words were not his own. "David," I said softly. "Go take a shower. Cool yourself down and get some sleep." David scowled down at me but his eyes looked truly sorry and grateful. He stormed out of the room.

"Is that true?" Jordan asked quietly after a moment of silence. "Did you tell Erol and me that we were immature and you wanted nothing to do with us because you wanted to distance yourself?" He looked hurt and slightly disgusted. "That's incredibly weak."

"Hey," Desmond barked. "In her defense, you guys were using the energy you needed for the upcoming battles to fight each other. She had asked you to stop and give her space but you didn't." Desmond gave me a look of understanding. I hadn't known that he knew my reasons. I blamed Daydream. "It worked didn't it?"

Jordan opened his mouth to disagree but reconsidered. He gave me a hard look. He was probing me, seeing if what Desmond had said was true. After a moment, Jordan nodded but he still looked kind of hurt. "I think we should all get some sleep," Daydream suggested. Well…suggested in the way a mother "suggests" her children brush their teeth. We were being told just in a…nice way.

Everyone cleared out but Desmond and me. He gave me an encouraging smile. "Did Daydream tell you my reasons?"

He shook his head. "She had no idea what your reasons were." It was then that I remembered that I hadn't told Daydream much of anything on the subject. I'd only told David, and Gia in the last few days.

"Then how did you—"

"Mari," Desmond sighed walking over to me. "I watch people, it's what I do. I can get a basic feel for most people's thoughts based on their body language. With you…it's like I just know. I could see the idea resting on your face for weeks before you finally did it. When we discussed the sacrifices you were willing to make for your followers, I knew you were getting ready to."

"Gee," I chuckled, "couldn't you have warned me then?" I was trying to make light of the conversation.

Desmond crossed his arms and looked into my eyes. "I also know that your fears have nothing to do with the adequacy of your army. You know they can do this. Your fears have to do with your own adequacy." I looked down at the ground. He was right. I was afraid that I wasn't doing a good enough job. Desmond wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. "Little sister," he sighed, as I cried silently into his chest. "You too need faith. You have faith in your soldiers. Have a little faith in yourself. They have faith in you now. Remember?"

I pulled away and nodded. "I remember."

"It's good to be concerned. But inferiority complexes are not good in leaders." I laughed. "You better now?"

I stared up at him. "How can you always make me feel better?" Desmond shrugged.

I kissed my big brother on the cheek and went to bed on his orders. I left him in the common area. He claimed he had a few more things to look over before he could sleep. I walked through the tunnels and realized that it felt a little more alive. I could hear Jason and Kimmy speaking softly in their room and Rosto and Jenn giggling a little in theirs. I could also hear hushed arguing coming from Aldo and David's room.

Erol stood outside of my room, waiting for me. I walked up to him and whispered, "Are you mad and disappointed too?"

He smiled. "Mari, I knew what you were doing as soon as you did it," he laughed. "I immediately went through the mad and disappointed phase. He'll get over it and realize that it worked out really well for him."

I gave him a curious look. "Did it work out really well for you?"

"Well yes, sort of. I mean, it got rid of Jordan." He gave me a cocky smile. "But I really just had to realize that it was selfish to be mad. I needed to be there for you, no matter how you felt." I smiled appreciatively. "So…what was up with David? Totally not his usual demeanor. I mean…he normally questions you with good reason. This was…frightened and petty."

"Don't know," I sighed, shaking my head. "Maybe this is what fire was warning me about. When it circled David and Aldo maybe that was a warning that they would turn against me." Erol didn't look convinced. "I don't know. Maybe I'm making too much of the whole event in the circle."

"Doubtful," Erol chuckled. "I just think that you'll know pretty easily when you've figured it out."

I nodded. I'd uncovered other meanings easily. Except for that whole man shrouded in darkness thing. "I'm going to bed," I sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry did you want something? You were waiting for me."

Erol shook his head. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He kissed me softly and left. I had to stand outside the door because, for a moment, I felt a little guilty that Gia was sleeping on the other side of the wall.

_***By the way, that song Desmond quoted is called "Raspberries Strawberries" and is by Kingston Trio. Good song. My parents kind of raised me on music older than them so...yeah.***_


	46. Armies

The next two days of travel were uneventful. The closer we got to our rendezvous point in Maine, the quieter and more nervous my group became. Even Gia wasn't immune. I did my best to keep them calm. I blasted the radio and got them to sing along. Gia got particularly into a C.D. of show tunes we bought for $3 at a gas station. About halfway through the first day Marco, Lucas's warrior, realized why I was forcing so much cheer and music down everyone's throats and joined in, since supporting leaders was what he did best. He had a surprisingly good voice and knowledge of Stephen Sondheim. No wonder he was such a fierce fighter. With things like that in his repertoire at military school he was going to have to learn to take care of himself sooner or later.

It was hard to quell the fears though when we had to use toll roads. They doubled as check points for vampyres. I was so glad that my group constantly reapplied makeup to their marks. It was sad, they all had such beautiful marks, but it was safe.

At one check point, when we were nearly to our destination, there was a young girl, she couldn't have been eighteen even, looking into everyone's faces. When she came to me she paused and smiled. She handed me a pamphlet they were giving out about turning in vampyres for the public's safety. As she handed it to me she pulled her sleeve up to reveal a barcode on her left wrist. She was a PC. My eyes widened and I looked up at her, terrified that we'd been found out.

She smiled and nodded to me. "You guys be careful. I've heard that vamps are gathering, brewing up some trouble. I'd look out for them if I were you." She gave us a quick wink and waved us through.

"What the hell was that?" one of the girls, Paula, whispered worriedly as we drove away.

"She recognized Mari," Marco said in a calm voice.

I nodded. "Yep, and she showed me her barcode to let me know that she knew. She supports us."

"She was being watched by some suits, did you see them?" Jewel replied, excitedly. But then, everything she said was in an excited tone.

"She's still being trained," Gia sighed. I hadn't realized that she'd been reading the girl the entire time. "She's spoken to our fledglings." I looked over to Gia quickly. She smiled. "They're alive…and they're gathering support for us on the inside."

The mood in the car shifted so suddenly that you could feel it. "Goddess," I heard myself sigh. "We're gonna win."

Not long after that we found our destination. It was just as hard to see as they had promised. Luckily some of Lucas's men were "camping in the woods" and discretely pointed us toward the underground headquarters. (They had arrived long before the rest of us and thought it wise that someone be on the lookout. I loved these guys. They really thought ahead.) As per the directions, we took a leap of faith and drove straight into a ditch, which ended up being a hidden driveway into their massive parking garage.

I was worried to find that Daydream, Desmond, Jason, Kimmy, Erol, Lucas and their groups had yet to arrive. But I was pleased to find that many of my soldiers had already made it as well as almost every other group we had sent for. It was an underground city, teeming with life and excitement. People were buzzing about preparing or just catching up. It was enough to make me incredibly hopeful.

As we got out of the car I was immediately set upon by a scarred and grumpy looking old vampyre. "You must be Mari," he growled with a diluted Scottish accent.

"You must be Colonel McKean," I surmised, judging by his age and accent. He had fought in the American Revolution, according to Lucas.

He nodded. "I am at that. Many of your troops have arrived."

"So I see," I sighed, trying to match his commanding demeanor.

"Lucas sent word that he and some of your other teams will be a little late. They had to work around an issue or two. They'll be here probably late tonight."

I nodded, feeling relief wash over me. "That's just fine. How…how did this place come to be?"

McKean gave a throaty laugh. "Best not to think on it too much. Just know that I've been getting ready for this day for a long time." I raised my brow, questioning this statement. It was best that he realize I didn't let questions go unanswered. "A young woman in the early 18th century told me that this would happen. This was when I was pushing for independence, long before congress started meeting. She told me that it was foolish to fight for a country that would inevitably hunt us down. Powerful prophetess that one." He squinted at me. "You know many prophets and prophetesses?"

"Quite a few," I chuckled.

"They're hard to talk to. Too often know what you're going to say before you even say it," McKean grumbled.

I laughed loudly. "Tell me about it."

Colonel McKean showed me around the facility and my assessment of it being an underground city was not far off. Many of his soldiers had lived down here for a long time. They had hospitals and shops and "restaurants", although you didn't pay for the food. It was a military city and McKean was their leader. He should have had a rank higher than colonel, of course, but he liked the way Colonel McKean sounded.

Much to my surprise I knew a number of people who lived there as well as many who came with other armies. I was relieved to see how many of them were alright and saddened to hear of those who had been Bagged or killed. Actually, a few of my exes, human and vamp alike, had found one another down there. They seemed to have almost formed a club. It was distressing. Everyone I had known kept telling me how different I seemed and how strange it was that I had let so many people get close to me recently. It was weird because, in September, I never would have guessed that I would have so many close friends. Yet, here I was.

I met with the other leaders. Most of them were excited to meet me, though some seemed to disapprove. The ones who disapproved mostly did so because I was young, a human and also a woman. It didn't bother me. My troops supported me, and that was what mattered. The leaders all told me what they brought to the table. One leader, a Japanese man named Kamakura Bakufu, had trained all of his soldiers the ways of the samurai. He had migrated to America in the late 19th century but had been born in Japan in 1543 or Tenbun 12 as they referred to that era at the time. He had been training as a samurai when he was Marked but refused to give up training. Luckily, at his house of night, his mentor continued his training.

They would be useful. All of them. One leader's group had been developing weapons and another's had been training with ancient weapons, still useful and harder to anticipate today. All these great leaders, only two were women, brought so much to the table that I was beginning to feel useless. I knew I wasn't of course but…being in the presence of such greatness can be a little intimidating.

My soldiers kept finding me, saluting me and telling me about the close calls they had on their way here. They all seemed so excitable but so ready to fight.

"I have watched some of your soldiers training," commented Boudicca, one of the female leaders. "They are quite impressive."

I nodded. "They've had some great teachers. Desmond, Jason and Lucas are some powerful vamps and excellent teachers."

Boudicca laughed, tossing her thick reddish brown hair over her shoulder. She looked down at me. The woman was an impressive 6'2" tall. "And I suppose you had nothing to do with it?" I made a face. "You're very well known, missy. I'm sure we can expect greatness from you." She laughed again then nudged me with her elbow. "No pressure though."

By that night, everyone had arrived. I was grateful to hear that absolutely nobody had been Bagged or killed on the way. But then it was time for all of them to gather and listen to the plan. My plan. Well, mine and Desmond and Jason and Jenn's plan but I was the representative. I stood before the giant army, reminded of the scene from Lord of the Rings where Saruman addresses his immense army of orks and uruks. It was terrifying. But I stood before them and explained our plan. _**The**_ plan.


	47. Decisions

_***Apparently I'm on a roll today. Haha. Here we go. Very little left to cover. Just a few chapters left. But...man are they intense. Enjoy?***_

Erol stood, looking out at the lights of the magnificent underground city. Everyone else was wandering about, worrying over the plan Mari had proposed. They had decided to follow through on it and informed her that they had complete faith in her, well most of them had, but that hadn't stopped them from worrying. Erol wasn't worried. How could he be worried down here? He felt safe within the earth but not like he was hiding. Even though they had yet to attack he felt he had accomplished much by just being here. "Not bad for a nerd," he whispered to himself, thinking back to those who had tried to torment him in middle school. He got by as the funny guy but everyone had always assumed he was a coward. Just being here ready to battle was proof enough for him that they were wrong.

He'd been somewhat different back in the tunnels less than a year ago. When Mari arrived he had been such an angry person. He hated hiding and feeling useless. He hated knowing that so many of his friends had been Bagged and killed. He nearly killed Mari out of frustration when she'd found the tunnels. And yet…he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. When he saw her give Rosto her blood and he saw the commitment in her eyes…he knew that something was changing. She gave him hope. He would follow her to hell and back if she asked him to. Without question. Even if she stopped loving him, though he prayed she never would.

Erol felt someone come near him and looked down to see Gia, Mari's little friend. She was a cutie with some serious spunk. He liked her. "Hey," he sighed, clearing his throat.

"Hello," she replied, awkwardly.

Erol smiled and returned to looking out at the city. "Beautiful isn't it? It gives me even more confidence. Just seeing all that life out there…I mean the very energy of life is almost physical down here. I can't even fathom these people losing."

Gia nodded stiffly. "Yes well…there's very little chance of complete failure. Although there's a decent chance of partial failure but…even that should end well."

Erol looked at the short girl, shook his head and chuckled. "Is that how you comfort Mari? Because if so it's no wonder she gets so panicky."

"Actually, when I tell her these things she's usually pretty relieved," Gia retorted glaring a little at Erol.

"Okay," he replied putting his hands up in defense. "I was just kidding anyway."

Gia sighed and ran her fingers through her short hair. "I know…sorry. I'm just…I don't know."

This girl wanted something, Erol could feel it. "Why do you want to talk to me?" She gave him a curious look. "I may not be a psychic but I know when someone is stalling and fretting. How can I help you?"

She looked up at him, her big brown eyes searching his face. "You have a thirty to one chance of surviving, you know. It's pretty much impossible for you to fail."Erol leaned back. He hadn't really thought about it. "Don't get cocky. I'm not trying to relax you. If you relax, you'll die and Mari wouldn't like that. I'm telling you so that you can plan for your future. Figure out what you're going to do."

Erol stared at the strange girl. "I don't know," he sighed. "Whatever Mari tells me to do I guess." She didn't seem to like that answer. "What do you want me to say, kid?" She glared at him on the word kid. "I didn't mean to insinuate that you're a child I'm just…it's something I say. Look what do you want?"

"I want you to promise me that you won't hurt Mari," she growled, narrowing her now frightening eyes. "I want you to know yourself well enough to know whether or not you'll decide to leave her or…blame her for something unfulfilled in your life or…"

Erol stared at the flustered girl in front of him. "Oh, so you do have a crush on Mari. I thought those were just rumors." Gia looked into his eyes. He knew that look. "Oh shit…you're in love with her." Gia stood tall, well…tall for her, but there was a level of worry in her eyes. "And you're psychic," Erol continued, thinking out loud, "so you wouldn't pursue a lost cause…would you?"

Gia shook her head. "I'm definitely in the running. And don't treat me like I'm not. She has an equal chance of ending up with me as she does of ending up with you." She looked down at her feet. This was not how she wanted the conversation to go. She was coming off as a little girl with a little crush. She meant to come off as a woman deeply in love. Because she was. "I love her Erol, and I don't want her hurt."

"Wow," Erol sighed, still staring at Gia. "I never could have guessed that a girl barely past the Change would be a bigger threat to me than Jordan." She looked up, expecting to see sarcasm in his face. Instead she saw honest fear. "I love her too. I would never intentionally hurt her."

"But I've seen instances where you do." She stared him down. "They can't happen."

Erol nodded. "I know. But…I'm not going to fight you for her, just so you know. I've learned. I'd rather share her for the rest of my life than lose her." He gave a devilish smile. "And I have to admit it's much hotter sharing her with you than with Jordan."

Gia laughed and shoved him. "I know what earth and air meant, Erol. In the circle I mean."

"Me too," he admitted. "I guess I kind of knew immediately. It just seemed weird at the time. She needs us both to survive. We are the air she breathes and the earth she walks on."

"We give her life and keep her grounded," she agreed. They both turned to face the city. "Many people will die, Erol. The two of us will not be among them. We need to help her get through it. No matter what."

Erol put his arm around the girl's shoulders. "I'm glad we're on the same page."

* * *

Rosto kissed Jenn's neck as she tried to duplicate a map of the testing facility. "Honey," she giggled, having trouble pretending she wasn't enjoying it. "You're distracting me."

"Good," Rosto whispered into her ear. "Maybe I can distract you towards the bed."

Jenn turned and kissed Rosto softly. He smiled hopefully. "Of course," she whispered, seductively. "_After_ I finish this map!" Rosto groaned and collapsed on the floor. "Come on now. Mari needs this."

"No," Rosto laughed from the ground. "Mari will have _you_ leading her. Mari just asked for it."

Jenn gave him a playful glare. "You know what I mean." Rosto nodded then walked slowly over to their bed. He seemed sad. Jenn turned her chair around to face him. "Are you okay?"

"Sure," Rosto replied, trying to fake it. He could never lie to her. Jenn crossed her arms, a movement which meant _Talk or else!_ "I just…the last time we were here I didn't see you again for a while. Too long. I'm worried that I'll…that we'll lose each other again."

Jenn stood up and moved over to the bed quickly. She sat down in front of Rosto and held his face in her hands. "I don't plan on getting lost. Do you?" Rosto shook his head and prepared to speak. "No…love, it won't happen again. Nyx brought us back together. Honestly…I spent so much time assuming you and Kimmy had died or been recaptured." She kissed each cheek then softly brushed her lips against his. She leaned her forehead against his. "We will only be apart for the fight. Then I'll find you. And I'll hold you. And we will be together."

Rosto pulled Jenn into his lap and continued kissing her passionately. He didn't even want to have sex, although he wouldn't have objected. He just wanted to touch her, be near her, smell her. As long as he could do these things he wouldn't think about the possibility of losing her. But something in his gut told him that the moment she went inside that building was the last time he would ever see her alive.

* * *

"Then you take the assassins group around here to drop the flying guillotines on them when they prepare to come after us," Desmond continued, rehashing the exact plans with some of the others.

"Brilliant. I'm glad Mari told me about those," chuckled Christopher, the young but knowledgeable leader of the ancient weapons group.

Desmond smiled. "Yeah…she's been trying to get me to use those since day one." Daydream saw the pride on her mate's face. She was so glad Nyx had sent her a friend who could also be her love's sister. He hardly got along with her friends before. Of course…he felt bad when they were Bagged but…still. She watched Desmond talking about the details of the upcoming battle. She loved watching him in his element and, lately, he'd been in his element a lot. She disliked a lot of things about this period of time they were living through. How useful her mate felt was not one of them.

"This girl," Colonel McKean sighed, choosing his words carefully. "She…she is reliable right? I mean. I don't want my soldiers following some half cocked plan. She has considered every possibility right?"

Daydream eyed Desmond, moderately afraid that he would snap and try to kill the man. "I assure you," Desmond urged quietly, "she has considered anything and everything. She has worked this plan over and over, never convinced that she has done it right. She's one of the most natural leaders I've ever come upon."

Jason nodded from the corner of the room. "I'd be lying if I said that I was always behind her 100%. Honestly, there have been times when I've felt like dropping her in a lake with cement shoes on." Daydream gave Jason an exasperated look. "But…I'm behind her 100% on this. This won't be easy and there will probably be casualties. Still, this plan is great."

"More than anything," Boudicca added, "I've seen how her troops look at her. They'd do anything for her. That gives me confidence in her and her plan."

* * *

"What are you saying?" David sighed, trying hard not to anger his boyfriend.

Aldo shook his head. "Come on, David. I've read the accounts, I've heard her tell the story specifically. Liam said that she had the ability to control people's minds."

David put his hand on Aldo's shoulder. "Honey, she has no idea how to access those powers."

Aldo turned and held David's face in his hands. "That's just what she wants you to think. But I'm telling you, she would know. Just as she instinctually knew that her blood could overpower Liam's hold on everyone. You've told me about how she just took that leap of faith." Daivd sighed and stared down at his feet. "Babe," Aldo said, urgently, "trust me."

David grabbed Aldo's hands and held them tightly. "Aldo, do you even know what you're saying?"

"Yes," Aldo said, smiling and seeming so proud of his decision. "I have to kill her. It will set everyone free and then we can prepare everyone for the real battle. We can train harder and become invincible."

David turned and walked over to the bed. He had to sit down. Speaking with Aldo was taking a lot out of him. "Aldo," he sighed, unsure of how to continue.

Aldo kneeled in front of David and kissed him softly. "I know she's your friend. But you know what has to be done."

David kissed Aldo back and looked into his eyes. Tears streamed down his face. "You're right. I do."


	48. Actions

This place was a crazy city. No matter where you turned someone was there. It was really hard to be alone. No surprise I managed to find the one place where no one would bother me. I sat on the roof of the armory. It was nice. I could look down and see everyone getting ready for the attack we were going to mount in the next few days. I could also hear people discussing my plan. Everyone was seriously worried. Couldn't blame them. This was war we were preparing for. Not a war we started but a war we needed to fight. Unfortunately, war is death. Senseless, needless death. Which isn't to say that I think wars shouldn't be fought. I just…wish that it didn't include people dying. It's entirely irrational and I don't care.

Anyway, I sat there, observing everyone. Even the scared ones had such passion and something close to excitement about them. Not because they wanted to kill or die. They just wanted to be able to say "I did something about it." That's all any of us wanted. We wanted to know that we had done everything we could. Even if we lost our lives in the process no one could say we didn't try our damnedest to set things straight. To right those who had been wronged. To free those whose genetics were reason enough for imprisonment. If we didn't try to fix it, nothing would change.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone else climbing onto the roof. I turned to see Lucas. He froze when he saw me then sighed, exasperated. "Dammit. You were two steps ahead of me. You wanted to get some alone time too?"

I nodded. "Not an easy task around here."

"Tell me about it," he sighed. "Well, I'll leave you alone. I'm sure there's another…roof somewhere."

"You know," I laughed, "if we don't talk we could feel like we're alone."

Lucas grinned and sat down next to me on the roof. "Goddess, it is beautiful down here. I almost want to live down here when it's all over." He smiled again then looked down. "Sorry, didn't mean to ruin the illusion of being alone."

"It's okay," I chuckled. He was acting so nervous.

We sat for a moment in silence, but I could sense that Lucas wanted to talk. "Okay, ruining the illusion again but…I'm sorry for the way I acted the night we were attacked."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I…I handled it badly. I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not so great at handling delicate situations." Lucas guffawed loudly then cleared his throat, looking sheepish. I rolled my eyes. "Apparently you _have_ noticed. I just…when it comes to something like that, I don't want to dance around the question. Lucas…I think you're great and you've done a great job with your warriors but…I took you in knowing _nothing_ about your past but what Jenn told me."

Lucas nodded in understanding. "And you deserve to know. I just…" He paused, looking down at the crowded pathways below us. "I know exactly what Jenn is talking about. I guess I had just hoped she could see past…okay so here's what happened. Our leader, Cartlan, was…corrupted by the government. When they were first developing their ideas of what to do with those they Bagged they approached some elderly vamps and asked them to turn in others. They were promised different things. Some money, some land, for Cartlan it was power. He was going to be ambassador of vampyre relations, or some shit like that." Lucas shook his head angrily. "So he would send small groups out and sometimes, they were caught. Some would make it back telling us about the Baggers or some groups we wouldn't hear from at all. One day…I was in the group sent out." He looked over at me. "That was a mistake."

I furrowed my brow. "You took them on. It wasn't any Bible study group." Lucas nodded, chuckling bitterly. "So you came back and told them what happened. How—"

"Oh I didn't just tell them what happened," he laughed, seeming pretty proud of himself. "I told them who had been sending us to our deaths. I beat it out of a Bagger. He admitted fully that Cartlan was turning us in for power. Even gave me the special code name they had for him. My fellow group members and I had undeniable evidence. But we couldn't spin a web of lies like Cartlan could. Bastard told them all about how I had gone rogue and wanted to usurp him because he wasn't radical enough. Hence the 'slaughtered a Bible study group' story. I guess Jenn was just a kid. I don't know why I expected her to see through it. She just…she was so much smarter than the rest of us. I figured she would."

I stared at Lucas, taking in his story. "Then why didn't you just tell me what had happened?"

Lucas blew through his lips. "That's a double sided sword. See, on one hand, the rumors about me being so radical spread and I gathered a lot of force because of it. They would, mostly, preface it with 'I don't hate humans like you but I want to do something about this.' Most people started to doubt the stories on their own but I didn't say anything. So, the other side of the sword is I had hoped you could see what was and wasn't true. You know?"

I smiled. "Funny thing about me, I need to be told things to be positive." Lucas nodded and looked down. "If it makes you feel better I was extremely confused. I wasn't sure how you could have done such a thing."

His face brightened a little. "It does make me feel better. I guess…when this is all over I should probably clear my own name."

He looked a little scared. I could understand, now. He'd developed a reputation because of that lie. "I'll help you out, if you want. Make sure no one thinks any less of you. Because…that story is much cooler. The one where you took out a Bagger group."

"Yeah," Lucas replied, nodding a little. "It was pretty bad ass, not gonna lie."

"So, what went wrong? If Cartlan was under the government's thumb why did they get raided?"

Lucas grimaced. "He couldn't spread the lie about me quick enough. The Baggers thought he now posed a security risk and took the whole place down. They killed Cartlan too. Good riddance. Unfortunately, they knew all about Jenn because of him and went looking for her in our hide out."

He hung his head a little. "Oh," I sighed, coming to a realization. "That's why you couldn't talk to Jenn when you first joined us. You felt guilty about her being Bagged." Lucas opened his mouth to reply but the cell phone Jenn had made for me began buzzing. I smiled apologetically at Lucas then answered. "Hello?"

"_Mari, it's David,"_ he said quietly on the other end of the line. _"I…I need you to come to my room Mari."_

I furrowed my brow. "David? Honey, is something wrong?"

"_Please, just come. And…don't bring anyone with you. I need to see you alone. Mari I…I just really need you."_ There was a frightened desperation in his voice that I had never heard before.

"Sure, don't worry about it. I'll be there in a few." I hung up and looked over at Lucas. "I gotta go. I'll see you later."

Lucas looked a little sad to see me go. Truth be told, we never got the chance to talk before, you know one on one. But the way David sounded I figured I needed to get over there right away. I figured I'd have a chance to talk to Lucas later. I walked quickly over to David and Aldo's place, weaving my way through the crowds. The longer it took to get there the more I wished I could run. Something in David's voice had screamed urgent. I finally made it to David and Aldo's little apartment and knocked. "David?" I called. "It's me."

I heard the door unlock and David slowly peered out. His eyes were red and puffy. "Come in," he whispered. I began walking in but I guess it was too slow for him because he grabbed my arm and pulled me in. "Sorry, I just…I have to get this door closed."

I looked around the apartment. The lights were off and the curtains were drawn. I could barely see anything. Someone could have been lurking in the corners and I wouldn't have known. I walked through the apartment slowly, glancing around. It's not that I didn't trust David it's just…something felt off about this room. I walked just past the bed then looked down.

To the side of the bed lay Aldo, staring lifelessly up at the ceiling. His head was facing completely away from his body. I gasped as I realized that his neck had been broken. "David! Oh goddess, who—?"

"I did it Mari," David said quietly from the door. He was leaning against it, staring wide eyed at me. I looked from the lifeless form on the ground to my friend and back. "I didn't know what else to do…he was…it was awful."

I tore my eyes away from Aldo and turned to David. "Honey, what happened?"

He shook his head. "He kept going on and on about it. He said that he had to. Like that made it all make sense…" He sobbed for a moment and I stared at him, helplessly. I reached out and touched his arm. He looked at me. "Oh goddess, Mari. He wasn't talking sense. Something was wrong. He just kept going on about how you were hypnotizing everyone. Mari…he wanted to kill you." I glanced back at the body by the bed. "He said that if we killed you then we could save everyone. No one would have to die in this battle. We could just….oh but I couldn't. And I didn't want anyone else to see him. He…he lost it Mari. He wasn't in his right mind. I think that watching Carmen die and the fledglings…I think it pushed him over the edge and…" His eyes widened like he realized what he had done all over again. "And I killed him. I killed Aldo." He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around my waist.

I stood there, sorting through all of my thoughts as my dear friend held onto me as though his life depended on it. I wanted to cry. This was so…overwhelming to say the least. "David…baby, come on. I need you to pull it together a little." He looked up at me. "He was going to kill me?"

David nodded. "I couldn't let him. Even if you weren't my friend I….you are too central to this whole thing. I just…I told him that I understood, I kissed him and…I broke his neck. He never felt a thing. Never knew what was…" He broke down into sobs again.

I held his shoulders as best as I could with him holding me still from the waist up. "Oh David…I'm so s—"

"No," David sighed, sitting back on his heels and letting go of me. He stared up with his grey eyes filled with tears. "Don't say you're sorry. It was needed…and I couldn't…I couldn't let people see him this way." He broke down, sobbing to the ground.

"David," I sighed, going to my knees to meet his gaze. "What do you need?" He stared at me, for the first time tonight, speechless. "Should we tell the truth or cover this up?"

He shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," I sighed, gaining control of myself, "that we can tell everyone the truth. We can tell them that you had to kill him to stop him from doing something terrible…or we can lie. I can call Desmond and Erol and maybe Jason down here and they can hide Aldo." David shook his head, unsure of what I was getting at. "We can claim him dead after the battle…say that he died fighting."

David's eyes widened. "Why would you do that? He would be considered a hero."

I nodded. "I know."

"He wanted to kill you," David reasoned.

"Yeah…but before that he wanted to fight for vamp rights." I held David's face in my hands. He searched my eyes. "It is your call though."

David stared at me. "You would do that for him?"

I kissed his forehead. "I would do that for you. And…well actually him too. He did a lot for us. For vamp rights." Tears once more overflowed from his eyes and down his cheeks and neck. "Sweetheart, should I call for back up?" David nodded and cried into my chest. I held his head as I dialed Desmond's number. "You're staying in my room tonight. Is that okay?" No way was I letting him spend the night alone in the room where he killed his boyfriend. David nodded as I heard the line ring. Desmond picked up almost immediately. "Big brother? I'm going to need a favor…a big one."


	49. Eve of Battle

_***There are seriously only three chapters after this one. Kind of crazy. So yeah, enjoy.***_

The next night, the night before our attack, I sat on my bed with Gia. David had finally left my place to get some food and remind himself of what we had at stake. Desmond and Erol forced him to go and I was so grateful. David was a valuable fighter and I needed him to be able to hold it together the next day. I felt terrible asking it of him after he had killed Aldo to protect me and our fight but…he was desperately needed. We both knew it.

Gia stared at me, her big brown eyes wide. "But there was only a slim chance for that to happen," she said quietly.

"Well," I sighed, not looking at her, "that's the thing with slim chances. There's still the word chance in there. It means they can happen."

"Mari, I'm so sorry," she sighed. "I know you must feel partly responsible."

"You think?" I snapped. Gia looked down at the bed and bit her lip. "I mean…I'm sorry. I shouldn't snap at you."

Gia nodded. "It's okay…I'm the psychic, I should be held responsible."

Was Gia crying? I had never seen Gia cry before. Not even when she was SHOT. "You can see every possibility Gia. You can't be expected to prevent EVERYTHING." She shook her head and refused to look at me. "Even then…this was clearly meant to happen. I don't know why, I'm not sure I _want_ to know. Goddess…this is so not something I expected to have to do."

Gia looked up, tears dancing in her eyes. "What?" she asked, wiping the tears away. She was trying to seem tough again.

"Covering up the fact that one of my best friends killed his boyfriend. In an attempt to save me nonetheless. Not something I expected in this war."

Gia scoffed and smiled grimly. "Expect the unexpected." I smiled back a little, mostly to make her feel better. She shook her head. "I just…this makes me so unsure about things. About the outcome of this war. About my place in life. About who will or won't live. I mean…I've been so sure. After this is over I'm going to need to reexamine what I know about my ability. Seriously."

She stared off into space, contemplating what she had just said. She looked so sad, so scared. I wasn't used to this from her. Gia was always so sure and strong. It made me panic a little. So I leaned over and gave her a long, extremely awkward, kiss.

When I pulled back she seemed kind of pleased. She smiled for a second then the smile faded, turning into a thin line across her face. She narrowed her eyes at me. "Hey! I'm not going to die! Don't do that!" She leapt off of the bed and glared at me.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just—"

"No!" she shouted. "I'm not dying. You're not dying. And Erol's not dying, just in case you panic and decide to go boink _him_ during the night."

I stood up. "Hey now, that's not fair."

Gia shook her head. "No, you're panicking Mari. Look deep down and tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that you kissed me because you wanted to and not because you were freaking out!"

I stared at her for a moment, scoffing indignantly. Then, after a moment, my shoulders slumped. "Okay. Maybe I am panicking…a little." Gia gave a squeaky laugh of disbelief. She thought I was panicking more than a little. "But can you blame me?"

"No," she sighed looking up at the ceiling. "I can't blame you entirely but…it isn't required in this case." She stared into my eyes. "We're going to live."

I nodded. Somewhere deep down I believed her, a little. But now her slim chances were coming true. How many more would? "It was also partly because you were beating yourself up." Gia looked confused. "Gia, you see every possibility. I was specifically warned about this. That's what fire was trying to tell me. I just didn't listen."

She gave me a hard look then sighed. "Okay, new rule. You and I need to stop blaming ourselves. It's annoying and seriously unattractive on us." I nodded in agreement. I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Besides, I think it's very true, what you said before about acts of panic. I don't want you to kiss me because you are scared or want me to feel better. I want you to kiss me because it's something nice that you want to do. Something good that you want to feel." She locked eyes with me. "So don't do that again!" I nodded, grinning. This girl was ridiculous.

I rolled my eyes. "This is all panic," I sighed, walking over to her. "I mean, we're just nervous about tomorrow so we're doing stupid things like taking the blame for things beyond our control." Gia nodded in agreement. We stood there silent for a second.

"You want to take the blame because you don't want David to deal with the guilt," Gia said softly, as she came to a realization. I thought for a moment then realized that she was right. "Don't worry about that now. Okay?" I nodded in agreement. She stifled a yawn then walked towards the door. "Alright well, I'm going to get some sleep. It's a little past dawn. We attack in about twelve hours. You ready?"

"I guess," I sighed, walking to the door with her.

Gia smiled. "Good. Oh, and one more thing." She turned and, before I knew what was happening, she got on her tip toes and kissed me. Deeply and passionately. One hand held the back of my head and the other was on the small of my back as she pulled me into the kiss. It was an intimate kiss that makes me blush to think of to this day. I almost didn't notice when she pulled away because I was too breathless. I'm not going to lie, she was pretty good at it.

I opened my eyes and stared at her. "Wh…what was that for?" I stuttered.

She grinned and touched my cheek. "That? Why, that's incentive to live." She opened the door, grinning like the cat that just got the canary, in time to see Daydream raising her hand to knock.

"Oh," Daydream chuckled. "Sorry, I'll come back when you're alone Mari. I just have some things to go over—"

"Don't worry about it," Gia said, coolly. "I was just leaving." She turned back to me. "I'll see you later." With that and a little wave she walked off.

Daydream came in, shut the door and began talking about…well I honestly couldn't tell you what she was talking about. I was just frozen. My face was radiating heat. "What's wrong with you?" Daydream asked, suddenly.

I stared at my best friend. "I…I think I have feelings for Erol _and_ Gia."

"Yeah," Daydream chuckled. "So?"

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Can you at least _act_ like this is weird?"

Daydream stared at me. "If it will help." She cleared her throat. "What? But Mari, how can this be? Are you quite certain?" she asked in a stilted manner.

"Gee, you're the greatest," I scoffed sarcastically.

She grinned. "I try my hardest! I am so glad you appreciate me. I feel the love."


	50. The Battle

_***Really quick, before you begin this...interesting chapter, I wanted to adress the Mari Gia relationship. I'm not going to apologise for it or force those who don't like it to accept it. Honestly. Haha. I'm glad you have such opinions. I just want to explain WHY this exists. See, I didn't do it for gratuitous lesbian scenes or to be radical or something. I hate that sort of stuff. I did it because...the theme, to me, of this story is relationships. Friendships, enemies, loves. Relationship between leaders and followers. The relationship between the government and its people. I know, little complex for a fanfic story. LOL. But Gia is just...this friendship that goes deeper. It's not about Mari suddenly being a lesbian (let's face it she's SERIOUSLY attracted to Erol. lol) It's about finding friendship and love everywhere.  
**__**Again, not trying to force ya'll to like it. It's actually kind of flattering to me that it raises such a feeling of like or dislike. I feel really lucky to have some pretty smart readers. (Kind of surprised me at first. Not what I expected from fanfiction.) You guys are awesome! Thank you for reading. Okay, enough of me, you don't care about me! Hehe. Here's...oh yeah. The Battle.***_

That day no one really slept. They may have napped but…no one could sleep. I didn't expect them to. This was the last day some of us would be alive. We all knew it. We didn't talk about it, but we knew it. We all did things to feel alive and somewhat normal. I talked to Daydream in my room for a bit about…everything. What we thought about the battle, the things we had gone through together, the things we had gone through before meeting and the things we would do _when_ we made it through the battle. We made sure not to use any ifs. If was a scary word.

Eventually Desmond and Erol brought David back to my room so Desmond and Daydream went to spend some quality time together. And I _mean_ quality time. I'm not using it as a euphemism. Daydream seriously worried me when she left because she gave me a long hug and kissed my cheek saying "Love you, Mari," before walking out the door. I started to worry a bit that she knew she wouldn't make it out. After all, Gia had refused to tell me anything about Daydream.

Luckily I was occupied with keeping David entertained until he fell asleep. Then Erol and I went outside and just sat on a bench, holding each other and talking. Geeking out a bit but mostly just talking about how prepared we were. I felt so safe for that hour and a half. I rested my head in the crook of his neck and he stroked my hair. I had a moment where I realized that this is how it could be, should we both survive. He wasn't wrapped up in the drama surrounding our relationship like Jordan had been. I knew that after all this was over, assuming things went our way, we could just sit together on our couch and feel just this way. I liked the idea.

Unfortunately, the day couldn't last forever. Soon everyone began assembling their weapons and meeting with their teams. As soon as the sun set we were going to be on the move so around four in the afternoon we had to begin getting ready. It's in the hours and minutes before a battle when you see the true character of people shining through. And I have to admit that I was quite impressed with the character of my friends. They were all being so brave. Lucas was getting a bunch of people to smile and relax a tad. Jason was glancing people over and giving them advice, making them surer about themselves. Gia was rallying her fellow young vamps, pumping them up, although when she smiled at me I saw the worry in her eyes. I couldn't watch that group for long. All I saw were young things who would die. It terrified me. Kimmy was with the other priestesses, praying to Nyx for strength and guidance. She looked so calm and powerful. Her cousin, Rosto, walked up to me holding a cross bow and with a machete strapped to his leg. "How you holding up boss?" he asked, smiling confidently.

"I'm not crying in a corner am I?" I replied with a smile, although it was hard.

He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Mari, we're gonna win this. You know that right?"

I smiled and covered his hand with mine. "You'd better believe it. Oh, hey, in case I forget to say something after, thank you. You've been…my most loyal friend and supporter. I love you and everything you've done. If I can ever repay you…hell I don't know how I could properly repay you. You've done too much."

Rosto grinned. "Actually…there is something you can do." I tilted my head to the side. Rosto cleared his throat and looked into my eyes, seeming exceedingly serious. "Please keep an eye on Jenn. I'm not worried about you or Kimmy making it out of this. You guys will, you're survivors. But…Jenn." He shook his head and tried to smile. "Just watch out for her, okay?"

I promised Rosto that I'd watch out for Jenn, although it pained me to see him so scared. But that just showed the character I was talking about. He wasn't worried for himself. He was worried for Jenn. Gotta love that in a guy.

Colonel McKean gave a great speech. I couldn't tell you what he said exactly but it gave us all courage and determination. I noticed how great a leader he was and wished to be more like him. He was gruff and ornery but boy did he inspire confidence.

We broke into our groups. Colonel McKean, Jason and Lucas were going to lead the first wave of the attack, the power houses like the Sons of Erebus and Lucas's men. Christopher and David were going to be in place before the first wave so they could activate the smart bombs the technical crew had designed and deploy some of the ancient assassination techniques. They would catch the soldiers by surprise so that the power houses could strike hard and fast. Boudicca and Gia would lead the second wave, those with more stamina and strategy. They would come after the soldiers with hand held weapons, some guns and a few strategically placed rocket launchers. The third wave was led by Kamakura Bakufu. The third wave involved the specialized fighters like the samurai. Kimmy was among them what with her training at this very facility.

I couldn't be with them, much as it pained me to say. I was with the secret force. Ours was the main objective. We were going into the facility. Jenn was to lead us in terms of navigating the halls and cracking the codes but Desmond and I led us militarily. My team lurked in the wooded area beside the facility and waited for the battle to begin. We couldn't have been there longer than twenty minutes but it felt like forever. We sat, hidden, trying to breathe quietly and silence the pounding of our hearts. Desmond kept glancing around nervously, scared that we'd be found out before we could attack, but I kept my eyes on the main loading doors, where the battle was going to take place.

The first strike was a rocket launcher which blasted open the main doors of the facility. It wasn't any normal rocket launcher. We _may_ have messed with it a little. There were shouts from within and a large number of soldiers came running out, shouting questions and orders. I had to remember that they were the enemy and they were the ones hunting us down, killing us and capturing others. I had to remember that as the first round of bombs were set off and a handful of them were blown to pieces. War is not pretty. More soldiers piled out and my flying guillotines were deployed quite effectively. Now the position of the assassins was known so the first wave struck with deadly accuracy. The battle had begun. We watched as the first wave fought then as the second wave moved in. That was our time.

Desmond motioned and we all began to move quietly. We were a pretty highly skilled group. We moved like the night and I begged the shadows to keep us covered. They felt like a blanket. As we ran through the dark, towards the side entrance, Daydream's eyes were wild and alert. She was not someone I would have ever expected to be so good at this. She looked so alive. We got to the side door only to be met with a small handful of soldiers. Desmond, Marco and I made quick work of them and Jenn rushed forward to enter the first code. The alarm chirped and the door unlocked. We were in.

Now Daydream took the point with Jenn. We knew these guys would have guns at the ready, if they were paying attention to what was going on at all. About a dozen soldiers came at us but Daydream and Jenn took them out with their guns. The girls were insanely accurate. Marco was grazed by one of the soldiers' bullets but he told us he'd be fine.

Jenn led us through the halls, which were like a maze. We cleared out anyone who got in our way. At one point a scientist pleaded that she just wanted to help "their kind". Desmond broke her neck swiftly and painlessly with a sad look of disdain on his face. We made it to a large room with several halls leading away from it.

"This is the common area," Jenn shouted. "Baggers and spies are through that way, careful they may be brainwashed already."

"Desmond," I sighed. "That's your group." Desmond nodded. He'd volunteered to take out those who were already lost. I admired his strength.

"PCs are through that way," she continued. "They should be no problem at all."

Daydream nodded. "We're on it!"

"Experiments are that way!" Another group broke off. "And fledglings are that way Mari."

I nodded. "Where's your area?" She pointed to a little room up some stairs. It was an observation deck. "Alright." I pointed to Marco and one of Boudicca's girls. "You two guard her. She has to get through. If she doesn't, this will be practically useless." Marco nodded obediently and they escorted Jenn to her spot.

I took my group through to the fledgling area, meeting only a few opposing soldiers which I dealt with easily. There was a loud beep and every containment area was opened by Jenn's override code. The fledgling area was a long hall filled with fledglings in what looked like the reptile house in the zoo. They were caged up and many of them had shaved heads. The glass doors slid up and the fledglings all looked around nervously.

"Everyone who wants to get the hell out of here come with me!" I shouted. "We're breaking you out of here. One time only offer." There was a loud clamor as everyone got to their feet and fled out into the common area. "Stay in the common area," I shouted. "We move as a group!"

In the back I saw my fledglings and caught my breath. I ran back to Minerva, Tara, Lin and Selena. Minerva hugged me and Selena told me that she was ready to do whatever I said. The strangest thing was Lin. I looked to the strong girl, though it was almost hard to recognize her without her beautiful thick, black hair. She wrapped her arms around my neck and began to sob. "I knew you would come. Oh thank Nyx. I knew you wouldn't leave us. Thank you so much, Mari!"

I had to peel the sobbing fledgling off of me but I held her hand as we ran. I wanted her to feel safe. The number of people we were freeing was overwhelming, to say the least. How there was room for the thousands of people in this facility I could never figure out. Desmond reported back saying that there were very few he had to take care of and most of those he was freeing helped. "Now is the time to test what they've learned," he sighed.

Every group checked in and we were ready to move. "You've got EVERYTHING you need?" I double checked with Jenn.

"Oh yeah," she grinned. "I'm good!"

"Let's go!" Desmond cried, taking the lead. We tore back through the way we came. It's not always the wisest plan in situations like this, but it was the safest. The other entrances were under attack. We encountered very few obstacles in the halls.

We burst out of the side door and found that the battle had spread. Desmond called for any of the Baggers and spies who wanted to fight their captors to come with him. A seriously surprising number of them did. Daydream and I went to lead the rest of them away, but we were spotted. "Mari, we're gonna have to hold them off," Daydream warned.

I nodded. "Jenn, take them in circles just in case then lead them back to the city," I ordered. Jenn nodded in understanding. "And Jenn….please be careful."

"Always," Jenn replied calling for everyone who wanted to live to follow her.

I shook my head, praying that I hadn't just broken my promise to Rosto. Then, as I fought off some weak soldiers, I was able to see the dent our army had made. I saw Desmond contacting Jason, letting him know that the job was done, and they started calling for everyone to begin heading out. We were in no rush, it wasn't a retreat, we just wanted people to see that _we_ weren't the terrorists here. Still, the fight wasn't over. We got into it, those of us who had missed out on most of the fighting. We barreled into the fight.

I was doing fine, taking down everyone in my way. I only sustained a couple of broken ribs and some gashes. I was on a roll. Then I saw something I never wanted to see. I saw a man drag a large blade across Daydream's stomach. I screamed, unintelligibly, and Daydream locked eyes with me. She looked terrified. I was more scared. I grabbed a sword from one of my fallen soldiers and began hacking away to get to my friend. By the time I got there Desmond had ripped apart the man who'd done the deed.

I knelt beside Daydream where Desmond was screaming "No, baby, no please!"

I shook my head, ignoring the tears in my eyes. She wasn't cut too deep, but she was cut well. She was losing a lot of blood. "You're going to drink from me," I told Daydream.

She nodded, weakly. "I know."

Desmond lifted Daydream up and I cleared the way so we could get to a place where we wouldn't be killed trying to save her. He laid his mate down, tears dripping from his cheeks. I wouldn't let this happen, I knelt beside Daydream. I wouldn't let my big brother hurt or my best friend die. I lifted Daydream up, carefully. She looked into my eyes before I could cut myself. "I love you, Mari, and I'm so sorry."

Before I could question what she meant, Daydream pulled my head to the side then sunk her teeth into my neck. Desmond shouted and I could hear Jason and Jordan calling out too but…I can't remember what. I just remember feeling the life leaving me. And I remember not caring. If I could give my life to save my best friend, so be it. I held onto Daydream the best I could. If she felt she needed to then I approved. I wanted Daydream to live. I was good going now…and being with Nyx.


	51. Land of the Dead

_I stood on a hill just above a beautiful valley. The sweetest breeze blew through my hair and the sun beat down on my skin, warming me up inside. The beautiful goddess walked toward me, a welcoming smile on her face. "You've done well, Mari," she sighed, grinning._

"_Thanks," I replied, looking around. It was seriously gorgeous here. "So…am I dead?"_

"_Very nearly," Nyx chuckled. "Oh, please don't be angry at Daydream she—"_

"_I'm not," I said, shaking my head. Nyx gave me a hard stare. I never thought I'd see a goddess look confused. Then again…I had never figured I'd see a goddess before. "I wanted her to live. If she needed to drain me then so be it. I'm alright dying in her place."_

_Nyx stared at me and, had I not known better, I could have sworn I saw tears dancing in her eyes. "Just like that? You would give your life for a vampyre?"_

_I shook my head. "I would give my life for someone I can't really live without. The vampyre part just means I can give my blood to do it."_

"_You could have pulled her off at any time."_

"_Never occurred to me," I laughed. "So…can I move on? Enter your…heaven type place?"_

_Nyx laughed and shook her head."You're not dead Mari. You're just nearly dead. They will pull you back from the brink."_

_I smiled at Nyx. "I've figured out who you are." Nyx cocked her head to the side. "On my way up here I thought a lot .I thought about what makes your vampyres singular and what humans so scared of them. I realized who you are."_

"_And who is that?" Nyx asked, grinning even bigger than she had before. _

"_You're the goddess of death. The keeper of those who have passed. That's why your children need to consume life, blood. That's why people fear you and your children unreasonably. You are darkness only in the idea that you are unknown."_

_Nyx stared at me. "__**You**__ came up with that? All on your own?"_

_I nodded. "Why are you so shocked?"_

"_Well, you're not the brightest." I opened my mouth to object but…I reconsidered. "So, am I what you expected in the mighty Hades?"_

"_You're certainly what I hoped for." We smiled at one another._

_Suddenly I heard a noise and looked over to see a young man with sandy hair walking towards Nyx. "This place is really nice," Lucas sighed, bowing before Nyx._

_I stared at him. "Lucas? Did you…astral project? Or is this how you communicate with the dead?"_

_Nyx shook her head. "Mari, honey I think you know what he's doing here." She looked to Lucas. "And the others, dear?"_

"_They'll be along in a minute," he informed her, glancing over at me nervously. "I'm showing them the way. I like my new job."_

"_Good," Nyx sighed, beaming down at him._

_I shook my head. "No…no you can't be dead. You're my strongest warrior."_

_Lucas smiled grimly. "Yes, I was. Doesn't make me immortal. C'mon Mari, you knew some of us would die."_

"_But…not you. I never thought…"_

"_Did you think any of your friends would die?" He gave me a cocky smile. I shook my head. "That's what I love about you Mari. You assume the worst but hope for the best. Like with me, remember? You assumed what Jenn said was true but hoped that I would be useful. You're the reason I'm here Mari," he sighed, motioning to the beautiful field around us._

_I covered my face with my hands. "I know. It's my fault you're dead."_

_Lucas shook his head. "No dummy!"_

_I glared at him. "What's with everyone insulting my intelligence here?"_

_Lucas walked up to me and pulled my hands to his chest. He felt warm and pure…I can't explain it. "You feel that Mari? That's a free spirit. It's thanks to you that I was able to make it here and take on the job Nyx has assigned me." I shook my head still not understanding. Lucas tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He stared into my eyes. "Mari, I never told __**anyone**__ the truth about me. It would have bound me to the earth. Weighed me down. But you took away the power it held over me." He looked up at the sky, feeling its warmth. _

"_Oh goddess," I groaned, looking over at Nyx. "He's the man shrouded in darkness?" The goddess grinned proudly at me. Everyone was right. I was not quick on the uptake. "So," I sniffed, trying desperately not to cry again, "what's this new job?"_

_Lucas smiled. "Things are coming. Big things, but you'll figure that out. I have to be there to help people get over here. It's too easy to get lost or taken these days."_

_I chuckled. "You're the Ferryman now?" He nodded, grinning from ear to ear. I'd miss that smile. "I'm going to make sure people know about you. You know that, right?"_

"_I'm counting on it." He gave me a hard stare. "You're a helluva woman." He rolled his eyes and kissed me gently. "Sorry," he sighed, quietly. "It's the one thing I would have regretted." He looked to Nyx then nodded. "Okay, I should go check up on the travelers. They deserve to be here. I'll be seeing you Mari. Take care of yourself." He ran off into the distance, looking so light and happy._

_I shook my head, trying desperately to stop the tears. I knew he was better off here. I knew he had a job to do, a purpose. But, as I once wrote, death is only unfortunate for the living. Nyx made her way over to me, a kind expression on her face that reminded me of my mother. "You've done so much for my children, your friends," she sighed. "I appreciate it, more than you can know. That being said, you need to wake up soon because there is still so much you need to do."_

"_Yeah," I sighed. "I'm painfully aware. Life doesn't stop after battle. There's a lot of clean up if nothing else. I have to make sure a lot of soldiers are given the respect they deserve."_

_Nyx smiled and placed her hand on my chest, right over my heart. "Thank you, Mari. Daughter of my heart." Something in her voice made me stop and take notice. I felt the skin beneath her hand burn but…not in the worst way. "I'm extending your life a little," she informed me. "You won't live as long as my vampyres but you will live longer than humans. You have too much to do for me to let you live the short life of a human." I nodded obediently, though I had no idea what she meant. "You are my honorary child, though no less my child."_

_I laughed suddenly. "I'm adopted?"_

_The goddess laughed too. "Yes, two times over." She pursed her lips. "Not to divulge too much but…you will meet your birth parents someday."_

_My eyes widened. I hadn't really thought about my birth parents since I was in middle school. I didn't really care about them. I'd learned, even more so in the last eight months, that family was who was in your heart, not your DNA. "While we're divulging secrets…may I please know now the only thing I don't understand about Daydream's vision of me?" She tilted her head to the sighed. "Why was I made of stars?"_

_Nyx nodded, rolling her eyes. "I suppose it's only right. Remember the story of Orion that David told you?"_

_I smiled, remembering that night, and awaited for her to explain further. Then, when she continued to stare at me, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I remembered Connor's comment _I wonder what those left behind will call you._ "I…are you going to make me a constellation?" I stuttered._

"_You will reside in the heavens, yes. I constant celestial body." I was speechless. What do you say to that? "Alright, no more talk. You __**must**__ go back now." She leaned over and kissed my forehead._

I awoke in a bed in the medical building of the underground city. My body **hurt** like nothing else. I groaned, alerting Gia, Erol, Daydream, David and Desmond to my consciousness. "Mari, thank the goddess," Desmond sighed, relieved.

"I told you she'd wake up!" Gia growled.

"It was scary anyway," Erol sighed. I guess they had been arguing this point quite a bit.

"It's just good to have you back," David sighed, irritably. He'd been dealing with the two squabblers. I could tell. I put my hand to my chest, which burned terribly. "Yeah," David chuckled. "Seems you've been…well given a gift.

I glanced down at my chest and felt tears coming to my eyes. In the middle of my chest was a filled in crescent moon, stars reached up to my collarbone and the top of my breasts were covered with flames and Celtic warrior markings. It was beautiful, and it was mine. My own Mark.

"I take it your meeting with Nyx went well," Daydream sighed, hesitantly. "I'm sorry Mari, I—"

I shook my head. "I'm tired of arguing this point. I was never going to be mad at you, even before I knew that you were told to kill me by Nyx." Daydream's eyes widened, glassy with tears. "Daydream, you're my best friend. I was willing to die for you." Daydream sobbed and threw her arms around me, reminding me that I had a few broken ribs. "So how'd everything go?" I asked, when Daydream pulled away giddily. "Did we make our point? Did Jenn get it done? Did—"

"Calm down, Mari," Desmond cautioned, looking extremely worried. "Things went down as well as we had hoped. We uh…we've made a list of the dead. We're celebrating their lives tonight." He slowly handed me a few sheets of paper.

Everyone sat beside me, touching me in some way as I began to read the list. I couldn't finish. I broke down into cries of "No". The first name was Lucas and just beneath him was Rosto.


	52. Work To Be Done

_***Final chapter***_

Jenn had, in fact, gotten the job done. See, while she was in the observation area opening all of the doors, she was also stealing all of their surveillance data. She had video and documents of everything they had been putting their prisoners through. She was able to put a ton of the footage together and broadcast it ALL OVER THE WORLD in one night. She set it on every channel on a continuous loop. No one could escape the torture these fledglings, vampyres and humans had been through. They couldn't deny it or claim ignorance anymore. It was out there. Every gory detail was being broadcast to every television in the world. I never really questioned how she did it. I never really got the chance to ask her. She left that night. There was a note in her room saying that she was sorry she didn't stay for Rosto's funeral but she couldn't watch them burn him. She wrote in the post scripture that she knew Kimmy and I would be able to understand. We did.

Unfortunately, Rosto wasn't the only one we were mourning. Colonel McKean had died and, in his last words, proclaimed Boudicca the heir to his city. Kamakura Bakufu was also slain, fighting alongside his men. He was the last true samurai and now he was gone. Marco died protecting the fledglings we had freed, he'd seen some soldiers following them and knew he had to do something. Several of our elders died, including Caltha, the only other person who knew about Lucas because she had read his past. It was distressing. About a third of our army had been taken out, but we'd taken out plenty of the opposition.

After the damage we'd done and the footage had been leaked, the government had very few options in terms of what they could do. The president released a statement claiming he had never known these "simple experiments" had progressed to such a level. A large number of scientists and military leaders were blamed as well as a couple of loud mouth politicians. They weren't fooling us. Something like this doesn't get hidden like that.

Regardless, technically we were all free. All calls to capture vamps and those on the watch list were no longer pursued. It didn't change the fear people felt when they saw vamps. No legal provisions were made to ensure that violence against vamps was illegal. After the first two days we had already heard of vigilante groups with KKK mentalities attacking and killing vamps and those seen fraternizing with them. Nyx was right, this wasn't over. But it was hard for me to keep moving.

"I don't understand," I sighed to Daydream one day, too tired to keep crying. "Why was Rosto killed if I had been meant to save him before?"

Daydream shook her head. "I really couldn't tell you hun." She stroked my hair. "We can't presume to know anything. It's out of our hands."

I sniffled and gave her a playful glare. "Can't you just tell me something supportive and pretend that it's true?"

"It's all very simple," Daydream sighed. "Rosto was kept alive in order to keep us together, to support you and to assist in bringing the knowledge of the facilities to our attention. He always knew that as soon as the mission was over he would be called back to Nyx's side."

I smiled. "That actually sounds pretty plausible."

Daydream nodded. "I thought so!" She sighed and held my face in her hands. "Mari, he's in a better place. He was brought to Nyx's land by Lucas so you _know_ he got there in one piece. Now he gets to rest until he's needed again. You'll see him someday…just hopefully not soon."

She was right, I guessed. I knew I had to force myself out of this gloom and get out there. Many of my troops were going to stay in the underground city. I couldn't blame them. It was safe and they could live here happily. Many Sons of Erebus had grouped up as the city's militia. I envied them

I knew that I had to set out. My work wasn't done. Vampyres were still being hunted, just not technically by the government. Not that I believed the government had given up on experimenting on and harnessing vampyres. I also didn't believe that they'd let the PCs and Spies go so easy. They knew a lot, after all. But, what did I expect? Rome was not built in a day and a country could not be reshaped overnight. I had to get out there.

On about my fourth day in the medical building I decided to make a break for it. I decided that I was going to get to my room, pack my few belongings and get the hell out of there. I couldn't do goodbyes or argue with everyone. I was almost to my room when I ran into a tall man with grey eyes. "David, oh hi I…"I looked at the man more closely. He had scars in different places than David did and he had a mostly shaven head. David would never shave his auburn hair off…EVER. "You're not David," I chuckled, embarrassed.

"You're observant," he replied, grinning at me. He had the exact same smile as David even.

"So you must be Tyler."

"I am," he said, glancing down at my chest. "And you must be Mari. I've heard a lot about you. My brother has yet to shut up about you. Well…about anything really."

I smiled. I was still having trouble getting used to my beautiful mark across my chest. I had been staring at it in the mirror a lot. "Yes well, you and David have been apart a long time. He's got a lot to share." Tyler nodded. "Also…he's encountered some serious pain recently."

"So I've gathered," Tyler sighed, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I mean…he won't talk about it but…I guess it's the twin thing. That and the whole thing where I've known him my whole life." He smiled at me. "You've been a big help to him. He seems…a lot stronger than when we were younger. He had leukemia at a young age so I got pretty used to taking care of him. Now he seems so…grown up. It's weird."

A wave of realization hit me. "He had leukemia? A blood disease?" Tyler nodded, giving me a knowing smile. "Which probably explains—"

"Why I was marked and he wasn't? Yeah, that was their thesis. Unfortunately for them, it was really hard to pinpoint exactly how that could have affected it but, between you and me, that's the only answer." Tyler chuckled. "Wacky twist of fate, huh? He wasn't marked but he was Bagged anyway. I guess some destinies are inescapable." He narrowed his eyes at me, pointedly.

"What's your ability? David never said," I demanded, getting the feeling he was getting at something.

Of course, he quickly managed to excuse himself saying that he'd take care of David and they'd be in touch with me. Those Norton boys were tricky characters. I had a feeling I'd like Tyler as much as I liked David.

I managed to make it to the door to my room without running into any of my friends. The other side of the door was another matter entirely. When I opened the door five faces stared back at me. Daydream sat in a chair in the back with Desmond standing behind her, his arms crossed. Gia was lounging on my bed, Connor sat on the edge of the bed and Erol was standing by the door.

"Going somewhere?" Daydream demanded coolly.

"What are you guys doing here?" I sputtered.

Erol crossed his arms and glared at me. "Gia told us you were planning on taking off without a goodbye let alone a companion or five."

I glared over at Gia. "What do you want from me?" Gia scoffed. "You know I'm psychic. Don't try to change who I am." She smiled playfully. That wouldn't stop me from feeling exasperated.

"Look, I need to go," I sighed to everyone. "And I can't take you guys with me. I don't want you guys to get into any trouble because of me."

Daydream grinned. "Remember what I told you the first night you were in the tunnels? We are trouble."

I rolled my eyes. "Nyx says there's still a lot that I need to do."

"Oh, look at her," Erol scoffed. "Marked for less than a week and suddenly she thinks she knows what Nyx wants." He smiled at me.

"I had a vision," Daydream sighed, answering my questioning stare. "You know, about what we're supposed to do now? Yeah, can't do much without _me_ can you?"

"And Erol and I want to keep an eye on you," Gia added with a Cheshire grin. I opened my mouth to speak but I don't know why I bothered. "Yeah, yeah. I know. 'I won't be any good for either of you. I have to do all of this before I can even consider being with either of you. I couldn't put your hearts in danger.' I've heard this speech." I rolled my eyes. Frigging psychic.

Erol smiled. "Besides, we're not ready to stop fighting yet either. Gia and I have talked and…really you're going to need us." I glared at them both. Great, they were conspiring now. "Besides, you've got a long life ahead of you. There's time."

I moved my gaze to Desmond. Hoping he would be on my side. Don't know why I bothered. "Sorry kid. You're stuck with us."

"Fine," I growled, feeling seriously powerless. How did I go from respected leader to a powerless child so quickly? I looked over at Connor. "But _you_ really shouldn't come. You should—"

"I should what?" Connor laughed. "I don't even know what my destiny is supposed to be. You're the only connection I have to whatever god governs me. Besides," he looked back at Daydream. "Apparently I had a vision about what we're going to do as well, so I'm already involved." He looked back to me. "Don't worry, they wrote down everything I said. Makes no sense to me but maybe you can take a crack at it."

I stared at the room full of people. People I apparently couldn't do without. _Well crap_, I thought. Everyone smiled as they saw me physically give in. "Well," I sighed. "I'm going to need to pack."

"Done," Daydream replied with a grin. "All of our stuff is already in Desmond's SUV."

I shook my head and laughed. It figured. "Fine! Let's get the hell out of here. We've got places to go, people to save."

Everyone stood and moved toward the door. "Wait!" Erol called. "C'mon Mari, we're starting an epic adventure. It deserves a line worthy of Whedon-dom."

I pursed my lips in thought then smiled up at my fellow geek. "I kinda want to slay the dragon."

Erol laughed. "Let's go to work!"

Gia rolled her eyes. "You two are idiots."

The End

_***That's it. Bagged is over. If you want to keep going then read the sequel "Blessed". :-) Thanks for reading guys! You've been great!***_


	53. I wrote a sequel

_***Hey guys. Just wanted those of you who added Bagged to your favorites/alerts to know that I finally caved and wrote a sequel. It's called Blessed. I hope ya'll read it and like it.***_


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